My Own Version of the Buffyverse 2
by BuffyL
Summary: This is the sequel to My Own Version of the Buffyverse obviously. Read the first one for a summary if you've never read MOVotB before. Read this one for a refresher. Enjoy! RR if you want.
1. Lessons part 1

A/N YES! I am back with My Own Version of the Buffyverse 2! This is a continuance of the first My Own Version. Every chapter will be from season 7 of "Buffy" and season 4 of "Angel." If you didn't read the first one, I advise you to cause it would be smart if you wanna understand this story. Memory refresher: Darla did NOT have Conner, Buffy did. She and Angel are married and living in both Sunnydale and LA. They switch back and forth when they have to. Angel did NOT destroy the Gem of Amara. He kept it and gave it to Buffy as a wedding present. Well, he wears it, but it was a present for her. OK! Now, I'm going to stop rambling and get on with the story. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
My Own Version of the Buffyverse 2  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"It's about power." Buffy said. She sat on the ground while Angel leaned against a tree a ways away. Dawn and Conner stood in front of her and listened intently to Buffy while a vampire rose from it's grave. "Who's got it. Who knows how to use it. So.." Buffy tossed a stake to each of the teenagers. "Who's got the power?"  
  
"Well, I've got the stake." Dawn said.  
  
"Doesn't matter Dawn" Conner said.  
  
"Conner's right, the stake is not the power." Buffy said.  
  
"But he's new. He doesn't know his strength. H-he might not know all those fancy martial arts skills they inevitably seem to pick up." Dawn protested.  
  
"Who's got the power? Conner?"  
  
"He does." Conner said.  
  
"Never forget it. Doesn't matter how well prepped you are or how well armed you are. You're a little girl Dawn."  
  
"Woman." Dawn said.  
  
"Little woman."  
  
"I'm taller than you."  
  
"He's a vampire, OK? Demon. Preternaturally strong. Skilled with powers no human could possibly ever.."  
  
"Excuse me. I think I'm stuck." The vampire said behind them. He was halfway out of the ground as Conner, Buffy, Dawn, and Angel all turned to it.  
  
"You're stuck?" Buffy asked.  
  
"My foot's caught on a root or something, and.. I don't even know how I got down there. If you girls could just give me a hand.."  
  
"Hmm. So, he's got the power?" Dawn asked sarcastically.  
  
"Zip it." Buffy said.  
  
"I really appreciate it. It's just, it's so dark, and I don't even know what I'm doing here." The vamp said. Buffy picked him up by his suit collar and put him down standing on his feet. "Whoa. Ooh. Thanks. That was a help. Unfortunately it was the last.." Buffy grabbed his throat and squeezed. ".. thing you'll ever do."  
  
"Listen up. I'm the slayer. You don't want to get into it with me. You want blood? You can have theirs." Buffy said, motioning towards Dawn and Conner. The vamp turned and ran after Dawn and Conner. Conner dived smoothly out of the way. "Power. He's got it. He's going to use it. You don't have it, so.." Dawn bent and flipped him over her back. ".. use that. Perfect." Buffy walked over to Angel and stood next to him while she watched Dawn and Conner fight the vamp.  
  
"They're doing good." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah. Considering it's Dawn's first time out. I expected it from Conner. After all he's the son of the Slayer and the vampire with a soul." Buffy said.  
  
"Yup."  
  
Dawn staked the vamp, and thought she defeated him, but she missed the heart. She got a panicked look on her face. He pushed Dawn down, got up, and got away from her only to run into Conner. He tried to stake the vamp, but the vamp overpowered him and threw him against a headstone, knocking him out long enough to grab Dawn as she was trying again to stake him and start to bite her on the neck.  
  
"Buffy! Angel!" Dawn screamed.  
  
Buffy walked up behind the vampire and grabbed its coat from behind as Angel went to check on Conner. The vamp dropped Dawn. Buffy fought with swings, kicks, and punches. Finally, she grabbed a nearby sword, and cut off its head.  
  
"It's real. It's the only lesson, Dawn. It's always real. Let me see." Buffy said.  
  
"It's nothing, it's just a scrape. Plus, I had a plan the whole time." Dawn said.  
  
"Really?" Angel asked, coming up next to Buffy with Conner and taking her hand.  
  
"Yeah, I planned to get killed, come back as a vampire, and bite you." Dawn said to Buffy.  
  
"You wanted to be trained." Buffy retorted.  
  
"Well, just the next time when you're gonna disa.."  
  
"You did pretty well."  
  
"I did?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Cause, you know, with the whole rolling thing, I was actually using his strength, and it was very Tai Chi. Right Angel? Plus I nearly got the heart."  
  
"My first time out, I missed the heart too."  
  
"No way!" Dawn and Conner said together.  
  
Angel chuckled and nodded for conformation. "She did. I saw the whole thing."  
  
"Just the once." Buffy said defensively.  
  
"Well, the next vampire I meet.." Dawn started.  
  
"The next vampire you meet, you run away. I just wish that was all we had to worry about. Vampires, demons.. they're nothing compared to what's coming." Buffy said.  
  
"I know. I just can't believe it's back." Dawn said as they started to walk home.  
  
"Believe me, I thought I was long past it. I guess you never are. Just a few more days 'til it starts. Then we'll never know what's coming next."  
  
"What?" Conner asked.  
  
"High school." Buffy and Dawn said.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Not the best thing for your health, son." Angel said.  
  
"Your dad defiantly speaks the truth." Buffy said.  
  
"You went to high school dad?" Conner asked.  
  
"Not exactly, but I was there the whole time your mother was. Not pretty."  
  
"It was when I blew it up." Buffy said.  
  
"Can I do that?" Conner asked.  
  
"No." Buffy and Angel said.  
  
"Well, unless a giant snake just happens to chase you through the halls." Buffy said.  
  
"Right." Angel said.  
  
  
  
Buffy busied herself with getting Dawn and Conner ready for school. Angel followed her around, helping out where he was needed. Buffy walked to the window and saw Xander pull up.  
  
"Dawn! Conner! Xander's here." Buffy yelled.  
  
"Just a minute!" Dawn called back.  
  
"You're gonna be late."  
  
"I'm comfortable with that." Conner yelled.  
  
"Good morning!" Xander said when Angel opened the door.  
  
"Well, you guys gotta eat something. I made cereal." Buffy called.  
  
"Ok." Dawn and Conner called.  
  
"You're unconscionably spiffy." Angel said.  
  
"Client meeting." Xander said. Then to Buffy, "How exactly do you make cereal?"  
  
"Ah, you put the box near the milk. I saw it on the food channel. Want something?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I ate. I'm good. How are you guys?"  
  
"My sister's about to go to the same high school that tried to kill me for three years. I can't change districts, I can't afford private school, and I can't begin to prepare for what could possibly come out of there. So, peachy with a side of keen, that would be me."  
  
"Well here's a little something for what ails ya."  
  
"You got the rest." Angel said as they followed Xander into the dining room.  
  
"Take a look."  
  
Dawn and Conner came in. "Hey. Check out double-O Xander." Dawn said.  
  
"Nice." Conner said.  
  
"Go. Talk with your mouths full." Buffy said.  
  
"I've got two crews working on this diabolical yet lucrative new campus. One here, finishing the Science building, and one here, reinforcing the Gym. There are no pentagrams, no secret passageways. Everything's up to code and safe as houses." Xander said.  
  
"Nothing creepy? Strange? From beyond?" Angel asked.  
  
"Maybe you guys are just paranoid." Dawn said through a mouthful of cereal.  
  
"Well, there is one interesting detail. I managed to scare up the plan from the old high school. You remember the very center of Sunnydale's own hell mouth?" Xander asked, putting two separate plans up to the window.  
  
"Under the library." Angel said.  
  
"Right. So I lined up the plans, new and old. And right exactly where the library was, we now have.."  
  
"The principal's office." Buffy said.  
  
"So the principal's evil?" Conner asked.  
  
"Or in a boatload of danger." Dawn said.  
  
"Well the last two principals were eaten. Who would even apply for that job?" Angel asked.  
  
"Guess we'll see. Ooh, we have to leave though. You have everything? Books, lunch, stakes?" Buffy asked Conner and Dawn.  
  
"Checked thrice." Dawn said.  
  
"Did you them give them the.." Xander asked.  
  
"No, we were saving it." Buffy said.  
  
"What is it?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Back to school gift."  
  
"It's a weapon, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes, it is." Angel said.  
  
Buffy handed Conner and Dawn each a wrapped present. They sat down and started to open it. Conner got his open first and stared at it.  
  
"What is it?" Conner asked.  
  
"It's a cell phone!" Dawn squealed.  
  
"Hold it." Angel said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's only for emergencies." Buffy said. "There will be no calling your friends on this phone. The bill is going to be high enough as it is. You're always in danger here in Sunnydale."  
  
"Buffy and I got this so you can be out at night and if something happens, you can call us and we'll come help you." Angel said as he and Buffy pulled out their identical cell phones.  
  
"Oh! I know what this is now. It's a phone that can go anywhere." Conner said. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome. Now, let's go. You don't want to be late for your first day." Buffy said.  
  
  
  
Angel pulled up behind Xander's car and he, Buffy and Conner piled out of the convertible while Dawn got out of Xander's new car. They walked up to Dawn and Buffy peered through the passenger side window at Xander.  
  
"Angel and I are gonna take Dawn and Conner to class, have a look around." Buffy said.  
  
"Ok. I'm gonna be on-site here all day, so if you have any needs.." Xander said.  
  
Buffy and Angel waved as Xander drove off before they turned to Dawn and Conner and began walking towards the school.  
  
"Now, remember, if you see anything strange.. or, you know.. dead." Angel said.  
  
"We got it." Dawn said.  
  
"And stay away from hyena people, or any loser-type athletes, you know, or if you see anyone that's invisible." Buffy added.  
  
"Hey, Buffy, I think it's pretty safe to say we're not going to see anybody that's invisible."  
  
"You know, you guys could still drop out. Only nerds finish high school."  
  
"You know, I don't really think it's fair for you to try and scare us on our first day of high school. Cause it is so redundant."  
  
"The place is evil."  
  
They entered an archway type thing where a tall black man greeted them.  
  
"Tough to let 'em go, huh?" he asked.  
  
"Hi." Buffy said.  
  
"I'm Robin Wood. New principal."  
  
"Oh, uh, Buffy Summers. This is Dawn and Conner. And this is my husband Angel.  
  
"Nice to meet you all."  
  
"Hi." Dawn and Conner said.  
  
"So you're the new principal. I expected you to be more.. Aged." Buffy said.  
  
"Huh. You seem a bit young to have such a gown-up son and daughter." Mr. Wood said.  
  
"Oh. Uh, uh, no. She's my sister and he's our.. cousin."  
  
"Oh, right, um, of course."  
  
"You didn't really think they're my.. it's my hair. I have mom hair."  
  
"No.." Angel said.  
  
"I actually have heard of you, Miss Summers. Graduated from the old high school, am I right?" Mr. Wood asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah. It's Mrs. Summers now. How did you..?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, I better get back to work. Gotta start deadening young minds. It's really nice to meet you all. You have fun."  
  
The principal left, and Buffy eyed him carefully as he walked away. "That was suspicious."  
  
"You betcha. Bye." Dawn said, tugging on Conner's arm.  
  
"Oh, guys.."  
  
"I know! You never know what's coming. The stake is not the power. To Serve Man is a cookbook. I love you. Go away."  
  
Dawn walked off with Conner who looked excited about going to an actual school. Buffy and Angel watched them go. She sighed and crossed her arms. Angel pulled her back against his chest and laid his head on top of her head.  
  
"It is hard to let Conner go. I'm not as worried about Dawn. It's Conner." Buffy said.  
  
"I know." Angel said.  
  
"I mean, he was taken from us once, what's to stop him from getting taken again?"  
  
"Us."  
  
"Us?"  
  
"And him. He doesn't want to leave Buffy. He's happy here with us. I don't think he wants to leave."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Come on, let's go check this hell hole out."  
  
"Ok."  
  
They started to roam the quiet hallways. Buffy took Angel's hand, getting just a teensy bit nervous at being back in high school. He smiled and gave her hand a squeeze.  
  
"He'll be fine right?" Buffy asked.  
  
"He'll be fine. Don't.." Angel was cut off by a basketball slamming against the lockers in front of them. Buffy looked at Angel and they went to check it out. They saw a kid walk away down another hall out of sight. While following him, Buffy passed a door with a sign that said "Basement. No student access." They continued past it, checking out the halls. When they rounded the corner, all they found was the doors to the bathrooms. Buffy sighed and excused herself. She walked into the bathroom and walked up to he mirror. She lightly touched her hair and pouted.  
  
"It's not mom hair." Buffy said.  
  
She went to wash her hands and noticed a bundle of twigs. Buffy picked them up, and when she looked in the mirror, she saw a woman who wasn't there before. The woman looked very dead.  
  
"You can't protect them. You couldn't protect me." The girl said.  
  
Buffy spun on her heel to find a very dead janitor behind her. She backed into the wall and closed her eyes.  
  
"Get out! Get out! Get out!" the janitor yelled.  
  
Buffy opened her eyes and the two dead people were gone. She ran out of the bathroom and headed down the hall. Angel ran after her trying to figure out what was wrong and where she was going. She kept running till she paused at a hallway. Angel almost ran into her before she started running again. Buffy slammed through a door.  
  
"Dawn! Conner!" Buffy yelled.  
  
"Buffy wait!" Angel said, running in after her.  
  
"What!?" Dawn asked agitated. Conner just stood up and stared at his parents.  
  
"We have to go. It's not safe." Buffy said.  
  
"But.."  
  
"We, um. I mean I saw.."  
  
"Can I help you?" the teacher asked.  
  
"No, I uh. Dawn, I just thought you and Conner were, um, in danger.. of smoking. We'll be around." Buffy turned on her heel and yanked Angel out of the classroom.  
  
When they were in the hall and around the corner, Angel grabbed Buffy's arm and pulled her to a stop. "Buffy, what is the matter with you?"  
  
"I saw two really dead people in the bathroom." Buffy said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah! One said that I couldn't protect Dawn and Conner because I couldn't protect her and the other one told me to get out."  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine. I was thinking we should talk to Xander."  
  
"Ok, let's go. He's at the science building, right?"  
  
"I think so."  
  
They took off and found the almost done building. Xander stood in front of the entrance and turned to them as they headed up the stairs.  
  
"So, how's it looking? Does the place pass inspection?" Xander asked.  
  
"Oh, it's great.. if you're a zombie ghost thing!" Buffy said.  
  
"So school's back in session, huh?"  
  
"Seems like old times."  
  
"So, zombies or ghosts?"  
  
"I'm not sure. They were in the mirror, but they disappeared. Um, but they touched me, I think. Well, let's just start with dead and pissed."  
  
"Buffy said one of them told her that Buffy didn't protect her and that Buffy couldn't protect Dawn and Conner." Angel said.  
  
"They were after you personally?" Xander asked Buffy.  
  
"Like Angel said, they talked about protecting people. Told me to leave." Buffy said.  
  
"No damage though?"  
  
"I think I may have destroyed Conner and Dawn's social life in all of about 30 seconds, but apart from that, no."  
  
"Ah, being popular isn't so great. Or so I've read in books."  
  
"This isn't a coincidence, you know, the school being rebuilt. It means something."  
  
"As in what?"  
  
"I don't know! Angel and I are going to keep lurking. You, um.. You watch out for creepy stuff like ghosts."  
  
"Will do."  
  
"Call us if anything comes up." Angel said as he and Buffy headed back towards the main building. 


	2. Lessons part 2

Chapter 2  
  
Buffy and Angel practically ran through the hallways of the new Sunnydale High School. Angel was a little ways behind Buffy and she turned to see if he was still behind her. Which, of course, was when she ran into the new principal.  
  
"Whoa!" Mr. Wood said.  
  
"Ooh, sorry." Buffy said.  
  
"Mr. And Mrs. Summers. I didn't know you two were still about."  
  
"Uh, yeah, we were just looking for.."  
  
"I thought in general it was customary for a person who's graduated to, um, you know, go somewhere else."  
  
"Well, it's a new campus. We're just getting to know it. You know, make sure it's safe for my sister and.. cousin."  
  
"You know, I, um, have to be honest. I actually know a little bit more about you than I let on before."  
  
"Isn't that interesting."  
  
"Oh, it really is."  
  
Buffy turned and looked at Angel with wide eyes. "We, uh.." Buffy turned back to Mr. Wood who continued to talk.  
  
"The school board recommended I spend a little time reading your record. It's, um, quite a page-turner. Kind of a checkered past.."  
  
"Huh. More like a plaid. Kind of a clan tartan of badness, really. You know, but there were factors."  
  
"Lots of factors." Angel said, stepping up beside Buffy and taking her hand.  
  
"Well, it's clear your sister and your cousin both look up to you two, which I think is great." Mr. Wood said.  
  
"No, they're much, much worse than me. Troublemakers. Expulsion is really the only way to go. You know, or you can suspend them for.. three years." Buffy said.  
  
"Well, how 'bout we give them a chance first. Just as long as they keep their grades up, and.." Mr. Wood was cut off by a cell phone ringing.  
  
"Boy, that's loud." Buffy said. She and Angel each pulled theirs out, but it was Buffy's whose was ringing.  
  
"That's a part of the reason we don't allow cell phones in.."  
  
"Excuse me. Yeah. Oh, sorry. Our dog. Uh, dog walker." Buffy said to Principal Wood. Then to the cell phone, "Three dead?"  
  
"Oh my God." Principal Wood said.  
  
"Uh, no, we'll be right there."  
  
"Your dogs are dead?"  
  
"And, Buffy? Isn't this reception amazing? We're in the freakin' basement!" Dawn said a little too loud through the phone.  
  
Buffy slammed the phone shut. "Ok. Sorry about that. I.. We have to.."  
  
"Go." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah. No, of course. And good luck with that.. dog tragedy." Principal Wood called after Buffy and Angel.  
  
They ran to the bathroom Buffy had been in earlier. She was about to go in, but Angel stopped her.  
  
"Buffy, I, uh, I can't go in there." Angel said.  
  
"What? Why?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It's just, uh.." Angel pointed to the sign on the door that said 'Women.'  
  
"Damn Angel, this really isn't the time for manners. It's a restroom! A restroom that will lead us to our son and my sister supposedly. So can we just go?"  
  
Angel allowed Buffy to tug him into the bathroom behind her. They stopped right in front of a gaping hole in the floor. With a shrug, Angel jumped in. Buffy jumped through and Angel caught her.  
  
"Thanks." Buffy said.  
  
"I'm a gentleman." Angel said.  
  
"If that bathroom thing hadn't already proved it. Let's go."  
  
They started roaming the basement halls, which seemed to go on forever. Every now and then, Angel or Buffy would call out for Dawn and Conner. They kept receiving no answers.  
  
"Dawn? Conner?" Buffy called. Still nothing. Buffy pulled out her cell phone and speed dialed Dawn's number. She heard the other phone ring, but no one picked it up. "Dawn? Conner? I'm close by sweetie."  
  
"Too late. But then, you're always too late, aren't you? Sure as hell didn't save me."  
  
Buffy and Angel spun to find the dead Janitor guy, the dead girl, and a dead boy behind them.  
  
"Where are Dawn and Conner?" Angel asked.  
  
"I think they're lost."  
  
"If I'm the one who let you die, why take it out on her? I'm right here. C'mon, what're you after? Fear? Revenge? Tasty brains?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I think I'd like Dawn to be my girlfriend." Dead boy (not to be confused with Angel's nickname from Xander) said.  
  
"Wrong sister. I'm the one that dates and marries dead guys. And, no offense, but he's a hottie. I mean, I'm sure you had a great personality, but.."  
  
"Busy making out with your dead boyfriend while I was ripped to death by a werewolf? Is that why you let me die?" Dead girl said.  
  
"Hey!" Angel said. "It's husband now."  
  
"I was screaming for help when they pulled me down.." Dead boy said.  
  
Buffy cut him off by making a T with her hands and saying, "Hello! Not making myself clear. I don't care how you died. I'm sorry for your loss, but where is my sister and Conner? Dawn! Conner!"  
  
"They're not gonna hear you. This place is like a maze." Dead janitor said.  
  
"This place is ours now. It was built on our graves." Dead girl said.  
  
"All we want is for you to leave so we can rest again."  
  
"Actually, I'm thinking all you want is to get between us and that door. Who's for finding out why?" Buffy said.  
  
Dead boy lunged at Buffy, who pushed him out of the way. Then dead girl jumped on her back, and they fell to the ground. Angel ripped dead girl off of Buffy and helped her up. When she got up, all three dead people are standing in front of the door again, like they had reappeared there supernaturally.  
  
"If at first you don't succeed.." Buffy and Angel leaped over the dead people. "Cheat." The dead people jumped on them again and Buffy and Angel tossed them off together. "Dawnie, Conner, we have to get out.." When she opened the door, much to her and Angel's surprise, it wasn't Dawn and Conner behind the door after all. They were staring into the face of a longer-haired Spike. He looked grim, and not the least bit happy to see them. Buffy and Angel were astonished.  
  
"Spike? Are you real?" Buffy asked.  
  
Spike laughed and looked funny at her. He stopped laughing, and touched his hand tenderly to her face. "Buffy, duck."  
  
Angel growled and Buffy touched his arm. "What? Duck? There's a duck?" From behind, the dead janitor hit her over the head with a pipe.  
  
"Buffy!" Angel cried, going to help her. The janitor guy whacked Angel in the head too.  
  
"No visitors today. Terribly busy." Spike mumbled.  
  
"Told you to get out." Dead boy said as the dead janitor started to wail on Buffy and Angel with the pipe.  
  
Buffy tripped the janitor, making him fall to the floor. She and Angel jumped up and used the door where she had found Spike to hit the dead janitor's head. They went into the room and latched the door behind her.  
  
"He'll probably show up in a sec." Angel said.  
  
"Nobody comes in here. It's just the four of us." Spike said.  
  
"Spike, have you seen Dawn and Conner? They came down here with some kids." Buffy asked.  
  
"Don't you think I'm trying? I'm not fast. I'm not a quick study." Spike yelled. Then, suddenly, he was crying. "I got my board in the water and the chalk all ran. Sure to be caned." Now he started to laugh. "Should've seen that coming."  
  
He moved away from Buffy into a corner, but she followed. His unbuttoned shirt was loose, but he covered his chest with it, crossed his arms, and leaned his back against the wall. She reached for his shirt to see what he was hiding. He looked away. There were numerous deep gashes on the upper left side of his chest, like he had been clawed.  
  
"What did you do?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I tried.. I.. tried to cut it out." Spike said.  
  
Buffy didn't understand what was going on with Spike. He was clearly acting strange, but her cell phone rung before she could figure it out. She turned away from him to answer it. Angel stared at Spike, an idea about what was wrong with him forming in his mind.  
  
"Conner?" Buffy asked into the cell phone.  
  
"Mom, where are you?" Conner asked on the other end.  
  
"I.." Buffy was distracted by Spike's barely audible mumbling. He had crouched down on the floor on his tiptoes. "Look, where are you?"  
  
"I don't know. In a room by the furnace. Near where Dawn fell in. They dragged us in here, and then they disappeared."  
  
"Yeah, they came after me too."  
  
"What do they want?"  
  
"So far, to piss me off."  
  
"Is it working?"  
  
"Oh, I'm damage-bound. I just can't figure them out. Ghosts can't touch you and zombies can't disappear, so I don't know what.."  
  
"Not ghosts." Spike said.  
  
"Who's that? Is that dad?" Conner asked.  
  
"Hold on sweetie." Buffy said.  
  
"You know what they are?" Angel asked.  
  
"Manifest spirits controlled by a talisman, raised to seek vengeance. A 4- year-old could figure it." Spike said.  
  
"Hang tight. I'll find you. These things can hurt you. You can hurt them too. Find a weapon. We'll come for you guys." Buffy said to Conner before she hung up.  
  
"Spike, you gonna help us out?" Angel asked.  
  
"This is my home. I belong here. Always been here. Cheers for stopping by." Spike muttered. He turned to the wall and put his hand on it. "It's in the wall."  
  
"I'll get back to you." Buffy said. She and Angel kicked the door open and walked out into the seemingly deserted corridor. "Guys? Resentful dead guys? This can't be good. Come on, manifest spirits, raised up, controlled by a.. talisman."  
  
"What?" Angel asked.  
  
Buffy pulled out her cell phone and dialed Xander's number. "Xander?" Buffy asked when he picked up.  
  
"Buffy?" Xander asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"Angel and I are in the basement looking for Dawn and Conner and a couple of other kids. They fell through a hole in the girls' bathroom. The one by the gym. There's, uh, there's a talisman in there somewhere. It looks like a bunch of small twigs tied together. Can you go find that and break it for me?"  
  
"Sure. Be there in a jiff."  
  
Buffy hung up and she and Angel continued through the basement. After a little while, Buffy heard a scream and then Conner's voice. They ran to it and found the three dead people spirits fighting with Conner, Dawn, and two other students. Conner was trying to ward them away from everyone, but janitor guy threw him against the wall. The dead janitor attacked Dawn.  
  
"You can thank your sister for this." Janitor said.  
  
Buffy came in a kicked the janitor away from Dawn.  
  
"Thanks sis." Dawn said.  
  
"We just need to keep them at bay." Buffy said.  
  
Angel went to Conner and helped him up. They all regrouped and started to fight off the dead people.  
  
"The bag!" Dawn yelled.  
  
Dawn handed Buffy the bag and Angel moved Conner and Dawn away. Buffy moved fluidly, knocking the dead people back and away where Angel and Conner knocked them back into the flying bag slash weapon. Conner noticed a metal pipe lying on the floor and he picked it up.  
  
"Mom." Conner said.  
  
Buffy turned and caught the pipe mid flight. "Do you really want to keep this up?"  
  
"What're you going to do, kill us?" dead janitor guy asked.  
  
Suddenly, they were gone. Buffy lowered the pipe and looked around.  
  
"Mom!" Conner ran up to Buffy and hugged her. She kept her arm around his shoulders.  
  
"Are they gone?" the guy with Dawn asked.  
  
"Yeah. The talisman must have been destroyed." Buffy said.  
  
"How'd you know it was a talisman?" Dawn asked.  
  
"There's always a talisman. The real question is who put it there. C'mon, you guys, let's go find a way upstairs, assuming there is one."  
  
"You really weren't kidding about this place. I guess it hasn't changed."  
  
"I don't know. Seems smaller."  
  
They walked off, trying to find the exit. Buffy and Angel met Kit and Carlos, the two friends of Dawn and Conner's. Eventually they found the stairs and headed out. They stopped at a corner. Buffy turned to Kit and Carlos.  
  
"You guys are gonna be Ok. School is intense, but you'll do all right as long as you're careful. And you might want to think about sticking together." Buffy said.  
  
"Thank you." Kit said. She hugged Buffy.  
  
"Yeah, I mean it. You are the coolest mom ever." Carlos said.  
  
Buffy looked self-conscious and played with her hair. Angel put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to his side. Dawn saved Buffy1 from further embarrassment by ushering her friends away.  
  
"Ok. Come on, we still have a few more classes to live through." Dawn said.  
  
Conner hugged Buffy and then Dawn kissed Buffy's cheek and hugged Angel before they walk off. Buffy and Angel watched for a few seconds before Principal Wood approached them.  
  
"Curiouser and curiouser." He said.  
  
"What is?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Carlos Trejo and Kit Holburn, right? Possibly the only two students in this school whose files are as thick as yours was."  
  
"You really did your homework, didn't you?"  
  
"I was looking for one or both of them to actually implode in a fearsome way right before midterms. And now I see that you got 'em socializing and hugging and actually, if I'm not mistaken, headed to class."  
  
"Well, we shared an, uh.."  
  
"Encounter." Angel finished.  
  
"Look, I know you're probably more than happy to get out of this place. But I gotta tell you, Mrs. Summers, I think you belong here." Principal Wood said.  
  
"Hmm, new?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Listen, I know this school's reputation. What, you think I got this job based on seniority? We got a lot of troubled students here, and just enough money to keep this place from caving in."  
  
"Yeah, you might need a little extra there."  
  
"Well, we do have a community outreach program. And the money we could pay you.. wouldn't even fold. But it would just be a couple of days a week."  
  
"Are you asking me to be a counselor?"  
  
"Well, we have a guidance counselor, but I was thinking the kids could use someone, you know, closer to their age who still.."  
  
"I'm in!"  
  
"What, you serious? You-you did hear the part about the money, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I heard. My schedule might be a little funtastic, but, uh, I'll work it out. I'd like to keep an eye on this place."  
  
"Well, that's great. Look at that. It's not even noon, and I've already bullied my first family member into helping out. I'm going to be the best principal ever." The Principal walked away. Buffy looked pleased like maybe things will be working out after all. She turned to Angel and squealed, jumping into his arms.  
  
"Oh my God!" Buffy almost screamed as they started to walk out to Angel's car. "Can you believe that!?"  
  
"Wow. You're only here for a few hours and you wind up with a job." Angel said.  
  
"Way better than Giles' ever was!"  
  
"Yes. Because you're not a stuffy librarian."  
  
"Wait till I tell Willow!"  
  
"She'll be psyched."  
  
"Wait till I tell Gunn! He's going to be so impressed!"  
  
"Yup."  
  
Buffy stopped as they got to the car and turned to Angel. "What's the matter?"  
  
"Cordelia."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"She's been gone all summer. Not a peep."  
  
"I'm sure that she and Gru have just gotten caught up in the magic of New York and being in love. I know I did."  
  
"Yeah, maybe."  
  
"Speaking of love, we have the whole house to ourselves right now. Why aren't we there right now taking care of some unfinished business from a couple of nights ago?"  
  
"I don't know. You're the one who insisted on staying here."  
  
"Mmm." Buffy pulled lightly on Angel's leather duster and he leaned down to kiss her.  
  
"Temptress." Angel said lightly against her lips. 


	3. Beneath You part 1

Chapter 3  
  
Buffy watched as the vampire in front of her disintegrated in a large cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Buffy found Faith standing with her stake held in front of her. The blonde Slayer smiled.  
  
"Faith!" Buffy said.  
  
"Hey B. Looked like you needed help." Faith said.  
  
"No. Not really. He just.. snuck up on me. That's all."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"So, where ya been?" Buffy asked as she went to her bag and stuck her stake in it along with the crossbow she had dropped earlier.  
  
"Boston."  
  
"Boston?"  
  
"Thought I'd go see the old stomping grounds, try to get away from being a Slayer for a while. Clear my head."  
  
"Did it work?"  
  
"No. Got attacked by a group of Oglar demons. Nasty buggers. They got fur and slime."  
  
"I could have told you."  
  
"Yeah." Faith looked around her, trying to sense something.  
  
"He's not here." Buffy said as they started to walk.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Spike."  
  
"I.. I wasn't looking for him. Where's Angel?"  
  
"He's at home helping Conner with history homework."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"When did you get back?"  
  
"Pretty much now."  
  
"Oh. Are you staying at your apartment or do you need a place to stay? We have a spare bedroom. It's Conner's old room, but hey."  
  
"Willow move out?"  
  
"That's right, you don't know."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"Giles took Willow to England after she tried to end the world. She killed Warren."  
  
"Are you shitting me?"  
  
"No. Not shitting. Very much serious."  
  
"Red turned in to Big Bad Red?"  
  
"Yup. She tried to kill us too."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Yeah. She tried to do that too."  
  
Faith started to laugh hysterically. Buffy looked at her and Faith tuned it down to spasmodic giggles. "Sorry." She mumbled.  
  
"It's ok. You weren't here so you wouldn't realize the seriousness of it."  
  
"No I really am sorry."  
  
"It's ok. So, anyway, Willow went back to England with Giles and I haven't heard from her all summer. Angel and I moved into Willow's old room and gave Conner my old room. Dawn's still in her room. We turned Conner's old room into a guest bedroom slash storage room."  
  
"You know, I think I'll stay with you guys tonight. I don't really want to face Spike tonight."  
  
"I don't think you'll have to worry about that."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He's, uh, he's not back." Buffy lied.  
  
"Oh. He left?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Where'd he go?"  
  
"You know, I don't know. I haven't heard form him all summer. Cordy and Gru either."  
  
"Weird."  
  
"Yeah." Buffy opened the door and put her bag and keys on the dining room table. "Angel! Conner! Dawn! I'm home! You'll never believe who found me!"  
  
Angel and Conner came down the stairs. Conner recognized Faith right away.  
  
"Aunt Faith!" Conner said, running up to her and hugging her tight.  
  
"Hey kiddo." Faith said.  
  
Angel stood back and watched as Faith and Buffy hugged. Faith turned to him and he stood straighter. She walked over and threw her arms around his neck and Angel hugged her waist. She was thinner than when he had last seen her. Angel didn't say anything about it. Al he said was, "It's great to see you."  
  
"You too stranger." Faith said. "Where's Dawn?"  
  
"She's down the street with her friend Kit."  
  
"Did you tell her she could go?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I did. I even walked her down there. She said she'd call when she was ready to come home."  
  
"It's 11 already. She better be home.."  
  
"Faith!" Everyone turned and found Dawn standing in the open doorway. She ran up to Faith and hugged her tight, nearly knocking her down. Faith's eyes widened in surprise and she hugged back.  
  
"Hey Kid." Faith said.  
  
"Not a kid. A little woman."  
  
"Ok. Hey little woman. You know, I think I'll stick with kid cause it fits better."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Ok, you two," Buffy said, pointing at Dawn and Conner. "Bedtime. Upstairs and get ready. I'll be up in a minute to say goodnight."  
  
Conner went obediently with a kiss on Buffy's cheek and a pat on the back from Angel. Dawn pouted a little, but eventually obliged after Buffy looked at her sternly. As soon as Dawn and Conner were upstairs, Buffy turned to Angel.  
  
"What?" he asked.  
  
"You're too soft on them. Well, Dawn anyway."  
  
"She responds better to me."  
  
"Cause you spoil her."  
  
"And you don't Conner?"  
  
"He's my not so little anymore guy. Plus he's my son."  
  
"He trusts you, not me."  
  
"He trusts you. He's still working out his issues. He spent 16 years in a hell dimension with a psychopath that kidnapped him through one of our now ex-friends. He knows it, we know it, therefore we re all working out issues."  
  
"You win."  
  
"I always win." Buffy kissed Angel and then turned to Faith. "So, room."  
  
"She's staying here?"  
  
"She's standing right here." Faith said.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
  
  
Buffy laid next to Angel in their big comfy bed. He slept peacefully while Buffy had a gruesome nightmare. She started to scream and Angel bolted upright in bed. He started to shake her, but she wouldn't wake up. Conner, Dawn, and Faith came rushing into the room. Faith started to shake Buffy along with Angel and the blonde sat upright in bed.  
  
"I heard screaming." Buffy said.  
  
"That was you." Angel said.  
  
"There was a girl."  
  
"That would be me." Faith said.  
  
"Uh.. no.. it was.."  
  
"Just a dream.. it was just a dream right?" Dawn asked.  
  
"From beneath you, it devours. That's what she said and then they.. there's more like her, out there, somewhere.." Buffy got up, walked to the window, and looked out. ".. And they're gonna die."  
  
"Well, we'll stop it. Can I go back to sleep now?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I guess."  
  
"Night." Dawn walked out and went back to bed.  
  
Conner stayed behind as Faith left the room too. Buffy looked over at him and he hugged her. "Are you ok mom?"  
  
"I'll be fine. Just go back to bed, ok?" Buffy said.  
  
"We'll sort this out later. Right?"  
  
"Of course. I promise."  
  
"Ok." Conner still stood in front of Buffy.  
  
She looked up at him and smiled. "You got your father's height, that's for sure."  
  
"But I have your eyes and your smile."  
  
"And my hair." Buffy tousled his long hair and he swatted her hand away playfully. "Get to bed. You have school this morning."  
  
Conner smiled and waved at Angel as he headed out and back to his room. Angel watched him go with a smile then got up and wrapped his arms around Buffy. She leaned into him and held onto his hands clasped around her stomach. They stayed like that for a while until Buffy started to fall asleep. Angel picked her up and laid her gently in the bed, covering her with the comforter.  
  
  
  
"So this is the new Sunnydale High, huh?" Faith asked.  
  
Xander had dropped Buffy, Conner, Dawn, and Faith off in front of the school before going off to work on some building on campus. Dawn and Conner had said bye to Buffy and Faith and headed to their lockers to get their books and stuff before meeting Kit and Carlos in the cafeteria where they always met in the mornings. Faith and Buffy walked the campus heading towards the office.  
  
"Yup. And you'll never guess, but this is also where I work." Buffy said.  
  
Faith started to laugh and she slapped Buffy's back. "Get outta town, B! Ain't no way a Slayer would work in the place that tried to kill her for three years." Faith looked at Buffy who stared at the brunette, hands on hips and a stern look on her face. "God, you do work here, don't you?"  
  
"It's not that bad. Really."  
  
"Sure! Let me guess, you're the librarian, right?"  
  
"No, a counselor."  
  
"Seriously? You didn't even finish college!"  
  
"I know. Huh."  
  
"What? Don't tell me: the principal just walked right up and said 'Oh, you're Buffy Summers, I've read your file and I think you should work here.'" Buffy stared at Faith. "Damn B! You just landed the job from hell on the Hellmouth! Guess I gotta check out the library."  
  
"Nope. The Hellmouth is under the principal's office."  
  
"What's under my office?" Mr. Wood asked behind Buffy and Faith. The two girls spun around in identical twirls and faced the tall black man.  
  
"Principal Wood!" Buffy said.  
  
"That would be me, yes."  
  
"Uh, there's nothing under YOUR office. I was talking about the old high school. Uh, um, the basement.. was under the office."  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"This is my.. Cousin Faith from England. She's living here now. Just thought I'd show her around the new campus because she's been here before. Not here, here, but she's been to Sunnydale and the old Sunnydale High School. Ok, I'm done."  
  
"Hey." Faith said.  
  
"Nice to meet you." Principal Wood said.  
  
"Yeah. You too. Catch ya later B. I'm gonna go get my apartment.. settled, now."  
  
"Ok. Bye." Faith ran off and Buffy turned back the Principal Wood and smiled.  
  
  
  
"How was school?" Angel asked as Buffy, Dawn, and Conner got home.  
  
"Fine." All three said.  
  
"Interesting." Angel had a rag over his shoulder and he was wearing an apron tied around his waist. The top was folded down in the front, but the bottom of the phrase made the whole thing obvious. "Bite the Cook" is what it said. Buffy had seen it in some store and picked it up, thinking Angel would laugh at it.  
  
"Hi sweetie. What's for dinner?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Food. Dawn, Conner, homework now. Buffy, you need to call Gunn, he's been meaning to talk to you."  
  
Buffy smiled as Dawn and Conner walked upstairs and Angel walked back into the kitchen. Buffy walked over to the phone and just as she was about to pick it up, it rang.  
  
"Hello?" Buffy asked.  
  
"B?" Faith asked.  
  
"Yeah. What's up?"  
  
"Nuttin. I just wanted to know if.."  
  
"Yes, you can come over for dinner. I don't know what we're having, but I'm sure it's good."  
  
"6:00 sound fine?"  
  
"Sounds great. See you in a little while." Buffy hung up and dialed Gunn's number. He picked up on the third ring. They talked for about an hour and a half before Angel called that supper was ready. Faith showed up early and they all started supper about 5:47. After supper, Conner and Buffy did the dishes. They splashed around a bit and had a small water fight. Faith showed Dawn some cool slayer moves she'd picked up since becoming a Slayer while Angel watched a little TV. It was the news of course. He hardly ever watched anything that Buffy, Dawn, and Conner watched.  
  
At about eight, Xander knocked on the door with a girl next to him. Her hand was hurt and Xander explained where he had found her. They came in and Buffy got the first aid kit. Conner sat down on a chair and stretched out, Dawn sat next to Nancy, the girl that had hurt her hand, Angel sat next to Buffy on the coffee table, Faith sprawled on the floor, and Xander sat next to Nancy on her other side. Nancy told her story.  
  
"Whatever it was, it was big, and strong.. stronger than, I mean, I don't know how it's possible. You hear things in this town, living here in Sunnydale, but nobody actually believes them. You know, you'd have to be crazy, and.. and you guys think that I'm crazy don't you?" Nancy said.  
  
"I don't." Xander said.  
  
"We've seen things too Nancy." Buffy said.  
  
"And we're gonna take care of this. It's your lucky night.. considering, you know, your dog just got all ate up and stuff." Faith said.  
  
"Hey, can I freshen up your tea?" Xander asked.  
  
"No, t-that's ok, thanks." Nancy said.  
  
"So you say this thing just came up out of the ground without any warnings or signs or anything?" Conner asked.  
  
"Just this kind of rumbling, you know. Like just before an earthquake?"  
  
"From beneath you it devours." Buffy muttered.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing." Buffy looked at Angel and he nodded, knowing that they had something brewing.  
  
"Nothing good." Dawn said.  
  
"It's sounding monsterific all right." Xander said.  
  
"Should we round up the gang?"  
  
"Good thinking except.. this is the gang."  
  
"Look, Nancy, we're gonna get into this, and I promise you, if your dog is alive, we're gonna find him, the only thing I need is a little.." Buffy started, but a familiar voice cut her off.  
  
"What you need is help." Spike said. "Fortunately.. you've got me."  
  
Faith stood up and stared at Spike. Buffy looked stunned. The last time she had seen Spike, he had had his shirt open, hair longer and darker, and he had looked much paler. Now he was back to his slicked back, bleached blonde look and he had on a tight blue shirt. Spike stared at Faith just as stunned as Buffy looked.  
  
"Faith." Spike said.  
  
"Spike." Faith said.  
  
"Who's that?" Nancy asked.  
  
"He's.. it's Buffy's.." Dawn tried.  
  
"Ex. And actually, it's Faith's husband." Xander clarified.  
  
"It was only a thing." Buffy said.  
  
"And I'm thinking it's a little more complicated than that." Nancy said.  
  
"Always is." Xander said.  
  
"You've changed." Faith said.  
  
"I have."  
  
"New clothing, better hair, not so much with the crazy. I like it. Now what do you want?" Angel said, standing and walking over to Faith protectively with Buffy.  
  
"Easy. If you think I like putting myself here, surrounded by people who don't particularly like me, you'd be wrong."  
  
"If you're uncomfortable, we can make you leave." Xander said.  
  
"I'll be quick. We need to talk. You want to do that here or privately?" Spike asked Buffy.  
  
"I'm thinking here. In the company of good friends with pointy weapons."  
  
"You said something about quick?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I did. For a start, and for the record. Last you two saw me, I was a mess, out of my head, admitted. Last week living in the school basement.. well, you saw me." Spike said.  
  
"You did?" Faith asked.  
  
"Faith, just a second ok? Yes, we saw Spike, we just didn't.." Buffy said.  
  
"What? You guys just.. forgot to mention it?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Things were insane in the basement, Angel and I saved your life. We can all discuss this later."  
  
"Sure." Dawn said.  
  
"Whatever you want." Faith said.  
  
"Right. 'Cause that seems to be the only time you let us in Buffy. Whenever you want."  
  
"Now, in fairness to Buffy.." Spike said.  
  
"Shut up Spike!" Xander said.  
  
"Ok. Guys. Give us a second." Buffy said. She and Faith followed Spike into the small foyer.  
  
"Do not start by saying you're sorry." Faith said.  
  
"I didn't come here to atone." Spike said.  
  
"Then what the hell do you want?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Only to help you guys."  
  
"Help us what?"  
  
"I was hoping you two could tell me. You're the Slayers, connected to the visions? A long line of worthies? Right? I'm just a guy with his ear to the ground but even I can feel it. Something's coming, I don't know what exactly but something's brewing, and it's so big, ugly, and damned it makes you two and me look like little bitty puzzle pieces. If I'm wrong, say so, lovely, no hard feelings. I'll go out that door and you can lock it behind me with any spell you like. So, am I wrong?"  
  
"Everything about you is wrong Spike." Spike went to leave. "But something is coming."  
  
Spike turned back. "You're gonna need some help."  
  
"Since when did you become the champion of the people?" Faith asked.  
  
"I didn't, I'm just a guy who can lend a hand if you all will let me." Spike paused and looked at the two of them. "Ball's in your court Slayers."  
  
"Fine." Buffy said.  
  
"Fine." Faith said.  
  
They walked into the living room and Buffy grabbed her coat. "Ok, we're gonna split. Whatever this creatures is it's burrowing through solid ground, that means a strength and power that we don't usually deal with, but we might have to get used to now that the Hellmouth is getting perky."  
  
"Shouldn't we call the police or something?" Nancy asked.  
  
"And tell them..?" Xander asked.  
  
"I'll quit interrupting."  
  
"Xander take Nancy home. Drive, don't walk, and try not to stop until you get there. Angel is going with Faith, Spike, and me." Buffy said.  
  
"Understood." Xander said.  
  
"Is your girlfriend always this.. commanding?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Who?" Nancy nodded over at Buffy and Xander's eyes widened. "Buffy? Oh no, no, no, no, no. See, uh.. she's a girl, and she's a friend, but-but- but she's not my girlfriend. She's Angel's wife."  
  
"Uncle Xander? Little drool." Conner said.  
  
"Spike, Faith, Angel, and I will check out the scene." Buffy said.  
  
"Ok. In the biggest way, I am not loving this plan. I'm not loving Spike." Xander said. He pulled Buffy aside. "He.. He tried to rape you and then Faith from what she's told me."  
  
"That was a long time ago and he failed with both of us. I know I can take him and so can she. Xander take Nancy home, Angel, and I will patrol after we go check out the scene. Afterwards, you can check out the Bronze."  
  
"Conner and I are command central? So, everybody check in with us. Ok, we'll be here doing our homework, but the other one sounded cooler." Dawn said.  
  
"Be safe." Buffy said. "Let's go."  
  
"Righty-o." Spike said. They all started to head out, but Dawn stopped Spike.  
  
"Spike." Dawn said. Conner looked at her as Spike turned. "You sleep right? You, vampires, you sleep?"  
  
"Yeah, what's your point niblet?" Spike asked.  
  
"Well I can't take you in a fight or anything, even with the chip in your head, but Conner can and you do sleep. If you hurt my sister or Faith at all, touch them.. you're gonna wake up on fire."  
  
Spike just stared at her. She walked off towards the kitchen and Spike looked over at Conner. He raised his eyebrow and stared at Spike. Spike knew he'd been beat and he walked out of the house. 


	4. Beneath You part 2

A/N I redid Chapter 3. It tells a little bit about the fight that made Faith and Spike both leave. So, yeah. Enjoy.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"You three are awfully quiet." Spike said.  
  
"Wouldn't know what to say." Buffy said.  
  
"Fine with me, I was more than half expecting to get an earful from Faith anyway, and when exactly did your sister get unbelievably scary Slayer?"  
  
"What are you doing?" Faith asked.  
  
"What? I told you once, straight up, I'm here to help, and that's all. Think this here is our spot?" Spike played the flashlight beam over the rubble where something had obviously burst up through the concrete.  
  
"How'd you guess?" Angel asked sarcastically.  
  
"I don't fancy sticking my head in there."  
  
"But if something bites it off that'd be a clue." Faith said coldly.  
  
"So, what happened to you?" Buffy asked, trying to relieve some tension between them all.  
  
"Well you saw me. Those ghostly types in the school basement got in my head. Made me flat out bug-shagging crazy, and I'm not exactly bragging about it, but they were stronger than I was. Made me see things, do things. And how come you never told anyone you saw me?" Spike asked.  
  
"I don't know. I guess.. I was partly hoping you were some kind of mirage."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint."  
  
"Not your fault."  
  
"Hold the torch will you?" Spike handed Faith the flashlight.  
  
Faith reached out to take it, and when her hand brushed his, Faith remembered the huge fight that had taken place the night they had both left Sunnydale. Faith pulled the flashlight back hastily with a tiny gasp. Spike looked at her, seeing her emotion.  
  
"Look this.. us working together, it's not a way for us to get back together if that's what you want." Faith said. "I'm still really pissed at what you did to me."  
  
"It's not. Look I can't blame you for being all skittish."  
  
"Skittish? That's not a word I would use for it. You tried to rape me. I don't have the words."  
  
"Must be a trend with you Spike." Angel muttered.  
  
"Neither do I." Spike ignored Angel and kept talking to Faith. "I can't say 'sorry'. I can't use 'forgive me'. All I can say is, Faith, I've changed."  
  
"I believe you."  
  
"Well that's something."  
  
"I just don't know what you've changed into. You come back to town, you make with the big surprises. I don't know what your game is Spike, but I know there's something you're not telling me."  
  
"Look at you. You left Sunnyhell too. But you're right, there is, but we're not best friends anymore, so too bad for me, I'm not sharing. I can be useful, cause' honestly, I've got nothing better to do. You two can make use of me if you want. And there's nothing here, just a bit of slime, mounds of displaced dirt and such, whatever our beastie is, he's gone."  
  
Spike walked back down the street and Faith looked at Buffy. Buffy looked really uncomfortable. Faith shrugged as if to say she were sorry and then headed after Spike. Buffy sighed and turned to Angel.  
  
"Well, that went well." Angel said.  
  
"Shut up." Buffy replied. "This is not the best day in the world."  
  
"No, it's really not."  
  
"Come on. We need to patrol. I told Xander that we'd all meet him at the Bronze later for a recap."  
  
Angel took Buffy's hand and kissed the back of it as they started to walk. She moved closer and put her head on his shoulder. They walked through a couple of the graveyards and down Main Street, but no vamps were out and wanting to play. It was almost time for them to be at the Bronze, so they turned back the way they'd came and headed towards the Bronze. When they arrived, Spike, Faith, Xander, and Nancy were all waiting for them. They walked up to them.  
  
"I found out something interesting and I bet you guys found zilch." Xander said.  
  
"Whacha got?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Anya's been busy lately. That creepy worm thing we've been after is Nancy's ex."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"And I'm bettin' Anya's in there getting her vengeance on."  
  
"Let's go." They all walked in and sure enough, there was Anya with some girl getting ready to make a wish.  
  
"Is this the one you talked to?" Xander asked Nancy. She nodded.  
  
"Tell you what." Anya said to the girl as she saw them approach. "Why don't we put a pin in it? Why don't you go get yourself a drink and we'll pick it up in a few." The girl left. "You guys, I am working here." Anya hissed at them.  
  
"We noticed." Buffy said.  
  
"That's why we're here." Faith said.  
  
"Right.. Did you turn this nice lady's ex into a giant worm monster?" Xander asked.  
  
"Ha-ha!.. yes." Anya said.  
  
"No way! Are you saying that thing was Ronnie?" Nancy asked.  
  
"You wish it, I dish it. I thought we were all clear on this. I didn't think you were gonna go all nark on me."  
  
"You wished your ex was a worm?" Angel asked.  
  
"Well.. we were just talking.." Nancy said.  
  
"Anya has a way of.. making things happen." Xander explained.  
  
"I had a quota, the guy had it coming, what's the big?" Anya said.  
  
"I think I'm going to be sick." Nancy said.  
  
"Anya that thing you created, burst through solid pavement and ate her dog." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh! Puppy!" Anya said.  
  
"Wait! That gets your sad noise? People's lives are in danger and you give it up for the yorkie?" Xander asked.  
  
"You never understood me Xander."  
  
"Xander? Who is this woman?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Anya? She's um.. Anya. My ex." Xander explained.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Hey! Nobody's bragging here." Anya said. She started to get up and Spike went over to her and stopped her.  
  
"Uh-uh, uh, uh, uh." He grabbed Anya's arms.  
  
She jerked away. "Hey! Get your hands off the merchandise, Spike! You don't get to go there again."  
  
"Please. I've already forgotten about our little time together."  
  
"I thought you were Xander's ex-girlfriend?" Nancy said.  
  
"I am." Anya said.  
  
"But you and Spike..?"  
  
"Had a thing."  
  
"Didn't last." Spike threw in.  
  
"But weren't you Buffy's..?" Nancy asked.  
  
"Briefly."  
  
"Never serious." Buffy said.  
  
"And now you're with her?" Nancy pointed at Faith.  
  
"In a way."  
  
"And you're with him?" Buffy asked indicating Buffy and Angel.  
  
"Yup." Buffy and Angel said together.  
  
"Is there anyone here that hasn't slept together?"  
  
"Look, at least we're all bipeds which is more than I can say for Ronnie the worm-boy." Anya said.  
  
"Ok guys can we focus here for just a second? Anya, this Ronnie, he wasn't a worm. Worms are like this big," Buffy indicated a couple of inches with her fingers. "This thing was." Buffy said.  
  
"A Sluggoth demon, am I right?" Spike asked.  
  
"Maybe." Anya said.  
  
"Wait, I didn't wish for that. I don't even know what this whatchamacallit demon is!" Nancy said.  
  
"Sluggoth demon, it's a very large, very nasty natural predator, who died around the crusades." Spike said.  
  
"Same phylum, it's not cheating, I just embellished." Anya protested.  
  
"Well you can un-embellish now." Xander said.  
  
"Bite me Harris. I have rules to work with, vengeance demon codes of conduct. But you'll never understand 'cause you're all so. human."  
  
"I'm not." Angel said.  
  
"And I'm not." Spike said. "I'm a demon, just like yourself Anya, your gonna turn the spell around like a good little vengeance demon or I.. what?"  
  
Anya stared at Spike. "Oh my God!"  
  
"What are you staring at?"  
  
"Oh my God!" A smile began to creep onto Anya's face. Spike looked nervous.  
  
"Right, lets go." Spike said.  
  
"How did you do it?"  
  
"Spike, what's she talking about?" Faith asked.  
  
"I can see you!"  
  
"Nothing, let's go. Got some worm hunting to do." Spike said, trying to rush out.  
  
"How did you do it!?"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"This shouldn't be possible!"  
  
"Shut your mouth!"  
  
"How did you get it?"  
  
"I just said you shut up!" Spike decked Anya, who knocked over the table as she fell. Nancy looked around at everyone worried and headed for the door. Spike moved to stand over Anya straddling her and punching her. Anya punched Spike, flinging him across the room where he landed on the pool table, damaging it. Anya stood up in full demon face.  
  
"I'm gonna kick your ass!" Anya said.  
  
"Right bitch! Round and round we.." Spike started.  
  
Faith cut him off. She spun him around to face her. He was in full vamp face.  
  
"You haven't changed Spike." Faith growled.  
  
"She's right." Buffy said behind Spike. He turned to stare at both Slayers that were glaring at him. Buffy punched him, he punched her back, and Faith punched him back twice.  
  
"Workin' out some personal issues are we?" Spike asked the two women. Buffy kicked Spike while Faith punched him. "Hey, I guess this will be first contact since you know when. Up for another round in the balcony then?" Spike asked Buffy. Buffy looked furious and yelled a little as she punched him hard, knocking him to the ground. Spike chuckled, blood on his mouth and got back up. "Right you are love! I haven't changed, not a lick. And watching your face while you two tried to figure me out was absolutely delicious!"  
  
"Girls!" Xander called.  
  
"Not now." Faith and Buffy called out.  
  
"Nancy. She's gone, and out there all alone. She's worm bait!"  
  
Buffy sighed and looked at Faith. The brunette nodded and Buffy said, "I'll go find her. You stay with Anya, get her to reverse that spell."  
  
"Hey is that it? A little touchy-feely and your off to the bat poles?" Spike called after Buffy as she left.  
  
Buffy ignored him as she and Angel ran out. Spike followed and then Faith ran after him. They were all jumping over rooftops and trying to find Nancy. Buffy heard a scream and she ran faster. For just a moment Buffy paused and found a rope attached to the side of the building she was on. She grabbed on and swung down.  
  
Nancy was clinging on the broken ladder. Below her, the ground broke apart and the Sluggoth demon started to rise up, mouth wide to swallow her. She lost her grip screaming, and just as she started to fall, Buffy came swinging in on the rope, catching her in mid-air. They both swung further down the alley and dropped down onto some conveniently placed soft trash. Buffy came out from behind some boxes, Nancy hanging back against the wall.  
  
"Go B!" Faith yelled before she jumped down with Angel. Spike was nowhere to be found.  
  
Buffy started to advance to where the Sluggoth demon last was, when suddenly the pavement behind her erupted and it rose up out of the ground menacing her. Nancy screamed and Buffy dropped into a fighting stance. Behind Buffy, Spike dropped to the ground and walked over to a barred window, pulling off one of the bars as a weapon.  
  
"You've had your turn Love." Spike said. "Leave the real violence to the demons, yeah?" Spike stepped forward, clubbing the demon with the bar. "That's right, Big Bad's back, and looking for a little death!" Spike reared back, plunging the bar forward as a spear, just as he did this, the demon suddenly morphed into a man, unable to stop his swing, the bar continued, impaling Ronnie through the shoulder and exiting behind him. Ronnie screamed in pain, and simultaneously so does Spike clutching at his head. Spike looked up, horrified. "I'm sorry." Spike pulled out the bar, and Ronnie fell to the ground, Buffy and Angel rushed up. Buffy grabbed a blanket from a pile of trash to wrap around Ronnie. Spike looked down at the bar in his hands. "Right. Wrong. Wrong maneuver. Not hardly helpful. God please help me." Spike muttered. Faith went to help Buffy and Angel just as Spike screamed, "Help me!"  
  
Faith stopped and turned to look at him. "You're not the one who needs help!"  
  
"He's going into shock." Buffy said. She took out her cell phone and dialed 911. Spike continued to mutter to himself while she talked to the 911 operator. "Yeah, I need an ambulance, someone's been stabbed, oh god, on the corner of third and Fairfield. Ok, help is coming try not to move."  
  
"No, no. Too much, too much, too much, too much, too much, in, down, up close, inside me all the way. Deep, deep, deep inside me." Spike said.  
  
Faith started to walk up to him, an angry look plastered on her face. "Look Spike, whatever you're doing.."  
  
"Get away! Get.. uhh!"  
  
"Do it somewhere else! I am through with this!"  
  
"Oh, oh, lucky girl. Call it quits, now there's an option. If only it was so easy, if only.. if only.." Spike turned as if he was talking to someone else and said, "What the hell are you screaming about? I can hear you. No need to SHOUT!!" The last word started out as a scream of rage and by the end sounded like pain. Spike doubled over. He stood back up laughing incongruously as Buffy, Angel, Faith, and Nancy continued to stare at him. "I get it, the jokes on me. Lots of laughs. Yeah. Hey, bring the wife and kiddies, come see the show." He twirled the bar casually between his fingers. "'Cause it's gonna be a circus. This.." Spike moved forward, laying down the bar. He leaned in, facing Faith as she stood a little ways away from Spike. ".. Just the beginning love, a warm up act. The real headliner's coming, and when that band hits the stage, all of this.." Spike stood straight and spread his arms. "All of this will come tumbling in death, and screaming, horror, and bloodshed." He pointed to the ground. "From beneath you, it devours. From beneath.. poor Rocky.." Spike looked as if he was beginning to cry, then sprinted off down the alley.  
  
"Buffy!" Xander called behind them. Xander and Anya hurried up, as Buffy took off her coat to use as a pillow for Ronnie.  
  
Nancy stepped forward looking at Anya. "You. You did this. What are you?" Anya just stared back. Nancy left, running away as fast as she could.  
  
"She's not calling me."  
  
"Ok, help is on the way, look after him." Buffy said. She handed Xander her cell phone and started off down the alley in the direction that Spike fled.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
Buffy didn't hear him. She just ran after Spike. Faith followed her and the two Slayers stopped in a graveyard. They spotted a church up ahead, candlelight flickering in the windows. After a moment, Buffy turned to Faith and Faith advanced on the church.  
  
"Faith." Buffy said. The brunette turned. "I'll be here if you need me."  
  
Faith walked to the door and opened it, entering the small church. She walked forward, then stopped, looking around, seeing no one. Suddenly, Spike stepped out of the shadows behind her, bare-chested, and holding his blue shirt.  
  
"Didn't work." Spike said.  
  
Faith spun around and stared at Spike. "What the hell are you.."  
  
"Didn't work. Costume. Didn't help. Couldn't hide." He threw the blue shirt onto a pew.  
  
"No more mind games Spike."  
  
"No more mind games? No more mind."  
  
"Tell me what happened to you." Faith looked down at the deep scratches in Spike's chest, and reached out to touch them.  
  
"Hey! Hey! Hey! No touching! Am I flesh? Am I flesh to you? Feed on flesh. My flesh. Nothing else, not a spark. Fine, flesh then. Solid through. Get it hard, service the girl." Spike looked upset and reached down and started to unbutton his pants.  
  
"Stop it! You.." Faith reached down to stop him from unbuttoning his pants, and suddenly Spike's hand was around her throat. Faith grabbed his arm and hurled him halfway across the church to crash into several pews, smashing them apart. Spike struggled up to a half sitting position.  
  
"Right. Girl doesn't want to be serviced, because there's no spark." Spike looked up and yelled, "Ain't we in a sodding engine?"  
  
"Spike have you completely lost your mind?" Faith asked, walking closer.  
  
"Well yes. Where have you been all night?"  
  
"You thought you would just come back here and be with me?"  
  
"First time for everything. You left too."  
  
"This is all you get. I'm listening. Tell me what happened."  
  
"I tried to find it of course."  
  
"Find what?"  
  
"The spark.. the missing.. the piece.. that fit.. that would make me fit. Because you didn't want.. I can't.. not with you looking." Spike got up and moved into the shadows. "I dreamed of killing you." Faith reached down and picked up a sharp piece of wood. "I think they were dreams. So weak. Did you make me weak? Thinking of you? Holding myself and spilling useless buckets of salt over your.. ending. Angel.. he should have warned me. He makes a good show of forgetting but, it's here.. in me, all the time. The spark." Faith swallowed as Spike walked out of the shadows behind her. "I wanted to give you.. what you deserve. What you wanted. And I got it. They put the spark in me and now all it does is burn."  
  
"Your soul." Faith whispered.  
  
"A bit worse for lack of use."  
  
"You got your soul back? How?"  
  
"It's what you wanted, right? To be like Buffy? It's what you wanted, right?" Spike asked hurriedly. Faith swallowed and looked down. Spike walked past her as he talked, towards the front of the church where a huge cross stood. "And-and now everybody's in here.. talking. Everything I did.. everyone I.. and him.. and it.. the other, the thing.. beneath.. beneath you.. it's here too. Everybody. They all just tell me go. Go.. to hell."  
  
Faith's eyes were glassy with tears and she shook her head slightly. "Why? Why would you do that?"  
  
"Faith shame on you. Why does a man do what he mustn't? For her, to be hers.. to be the kind of man who would nev.. to be a kind of man.." Spike advanced towards the cross. "And she shall look at him with forgiveness.. and everybody will forgive and love.. he will be loved." Spike stood within inches of the cross now, staring at it. "So everything's ok right?" He leaned forward and embraced the cross hanging himself on it as smoke started to rise from his flesh. A single tear fell down Faith's cheek. "Can we rest now? Faith, can we rest?" Smoke continued to rise off him as he hung there on the cross. 


	5. Release

Chapter 5  
  
Faith turned and bolted out of the church. She ran past Buffy and headed down the street. Buffy gave chase, calling the other Slayer's name out. She lost the brunette Slayer somewhere in Docktown. Reaching out with her senses, Buffy felt for Faith. She followed the connection and found Faith sitting on the beach near the rolling surf. Buffy walked up to her slowly.  
  
Without looking up at Buffy, Faith said, "I've always been the jealous type and look what it's done."  
  
"What are you talking about?" Buffy asked, sitting down next to Faith.  
  
"I've always been jealous of you. Of what you had and I didn't."  
  
"Faith..?"  
  
"He did it for me. He did it so I could be more like big sister Buffy."  
  
"Faith, what did he do?"  
  
"He, uh, he talked about a spark. That Angel should have warned him that it would burn. He said that it was what I wanted and deserved: to be more like you."  
  
"Spark? I don't.." Faith turned to look at Buffy and the blonde stopped talking. Faith's eyes were red and wet. Tears feel freely down her face as the two Slayers stared at each other. Then it hit Buffy. The spark Faith was talking about. "His soul."  
  
"How can a person love someone so much that they would put themselves through that kind of torment? He didn't need one. I was fine without one."  
  
"You've always had a conscience. You just chose to ignore it. Spike, Angel, they didn't get choices. Their souls were taken from them."  
  
"I meant him. I was fine with him without a soul."  
  
"No, you didn't. There was more to that statement. I just answered the question behind it."  
  
"Why aren't I like him Buffy?"  
  
"Like Spike?"  
  
"He's crazy because of it. I've lost him because of my jealousy."  
  
"Why aren't you crazy?" Faith nodded. "Your soul was never lost and it was always there. But you're strong. You bounced back."  
  
"Why can't Spike?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Why isn't Angel crazy? He was never crazy."  
  
"That's not true." Faith turned to look at Buffy and Buffy looked out over the darkened ocean. "He was. Before he met me. He couldn't take the pain that his soul caused him. He lived on the streets like a beggar, feeding off rats. People would cross the street to get away from him. After Darla shunned him for the second time, he became a real recluse. He stopped caring."  
  
Faith was silent. They stared out over the ocean and listened to the waves crash against the docks. The wind blew gently, picking up Buffy and Faith's hair and whipping it lightly around. A dog barked a few blocks away and the tinkle of glasses and drunken sailors singing off key floated to the Slayers from the Fishtank. Minutes past by as the women sat there, thinking of the men they loved.  
  
"I've never felt this way before." Faith said.  
  
"Like what?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Like I belong."  
  
"You've always belonged. And just like the conscience, you chose to ignore it. We were always there with open arms Faith. All you had to do was tell us you wanted in."  
  
"I'm not just talking about that."  
  
"You're talking about love. I know. I caught that."  
  
"Is that what that hole is that's been ripping at my heart lately?"  
  
"It's not always like that."  
  
"Pft!"  
  
"It'll get better eventually. Time is all it takes Faith. I know it hurts now; I've been there. I've been there a lot. Not just with Angel. With Conner, when he was taken from me, I was devastated. I didn't think I would ever pull through that. I watched him get kidnapped. I handed my own son over to an unknown enemy. A hole was ripped in my heart and I covered it with hatred and rage at the people who had orchestrated my son's kidnapping. It wasn't really closed though. After Conner came back to us, it was still pretty large. Time has helped me. And my family."  
  
"I don't have one of those."  
  
"You do. We may not be blood relatives, but it's not the blood that counts in those bonds. Family is who the heart feels most comfortable with. Family is people who are always there for you through thick and thin. And you have quite a large family Faith. I'm proud to have you in my family."  
  
"After all I've done?"  
  
"Ah, I'll get over it eventually. For now, I just want you to calm down and realize that you do have people that are here for you."  
  
"I don't feel like I do."  
  
"I didn't either. Not after I had come back, anyway. For a while, I resented my friends for pulling me away from my peace. My heaven. Spike was the only one who was there who understood. I'm grateful for him being there, but then there was Angel. The one person who could fully understand what I was going through. I remember those four days I spent with him at that place between here and LA. Those were the first days when I felt wonderful. When I felt happy. That was the beginning of the rebuilding of my family."  
  
"I don't have that."  
  
"You do. Faith, when you first came to Sunnydale, you had me and mom and Dawn. Dawn looked up to you more than she did me."  
  
"That's not true."  
  
"It is. And you also had Willow and Xander and Giles. Angel was there for you too. You just never noticed. I promised myself that I would never give up on you. As long as it took, I would help you. And I still haven't given up on you. How many people have ever done that for you?"  
  
"One."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Angel."  
  
"There you go, a part of your large family. And now that he and I are married, you're in a lot of trouble."  
  
Faith chuckled and Buffy smiled at her. But the laugh didn't last. It turned into quiet sobs. Faith was finally breaking down and Buffy was there to help her. Buffy opened her arms and Faith's head fell on Buffy's shoulder. She sobbed onto the other Slayer's shoulder and Buffy let her. She stroked Faith's hair and told her that everything would work out for them all.  
  
  
  
Angel sat in the couch in the living room waiting for Buffy. Conner and Dawn had been asleep in their rooms going on three hours. Buffy wasn't home yet and Angel was starting to realize what Joyce Summers had felt like all those nights after she had found out Buffy was the Slayer. He sighed and looked back down at the book he was trying to read. He had been on the same page for the past hour or so. Exasperated, he tossed the book on the coffee table and got up, heading for the kitchen.  
  
Angel walked around the kitchen, trying to busy himself by cleaning things that didn't need to cleaned. He checked the message machine, but nothing blinked. The phone hadn't even rang, so how could there have been a message from Buffy he didn't know about? Suddenly it hit him. Buffy had her cell phone. Picking up the phone, he quickly dialed her number. It rang and rang until finally someone picked it up.  
  
"Hello?" Xander asked.  
  
"Xander?" Angel asked.  
  
"Hey Angel! What's up?"  
  
"Why do you have Buffy's phone?"  
  
"Well, she gave it to me before she ran off. I was just on my way over to give it to her. I she there?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Of course not. You're calling her on her phone, so why would she be there?"  
  
"Xander, just bring the phone over here tomorrow." Angel hung up and sighed. He turned around and found Conner standing there in the doorway to the kitchen in only his sweat pants. Angel jumped slightly.  
  
"Hey dad." Conner said.  
  
"Conner. What are you doing up?"  
  
"Couldn't sleep. Got hungry. Where's mom?"  
  
"I don't know. She hasn't come home yet."  
  
"Oh. Are you going out to look for her?"  
  
"Huh?" Conner motioned towards Angel's clothes. "Oh! No. At least, I wasn't planning on it."  
  
"Oh." Conner sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast bar. "Can I talk to you? I was going to talk to mom, but I guess you're as good as any, seeing as how you're my dad."  
  
"Anything you want Conner." Angel stood on the other side of the breakfast bar and looked at Conner, waiting.  
  
"Well, it's not really that important, but it feels like it should be."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"What was it like when I was a baby? Did I cry a lot? Was I quiet? What was mom like when she was pregnant with me? What was it like after she had me?"  
  
"Whoa! Slow down. One question at a time."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"It's ok. You want to know. And that's great. To me it's great anyways. Buffy probably expected it."  
  
"Why didn't you?"  
  
"I don't think you trust me." Angel paused and then looked his son directly in his eyes. "I don't think you love me."  
  
"A part of me can't."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because of what my fa.. Holtz raised me to believe. I know about what you did to his family and what you did to others. I want to accept you, like mom and Dawn do, but I can't."  
  
"I understand. I honestly can't see why Buffy has accepted me like she has. She accepted me from the very beginning. If I were in her place, I probably would have run far, far away."  
  
"Give me time."  
  
"Time is what everyone needs, just can't always get."  
  
"Will we have it?"  
  
"God I hope so." Angel smiled and Conner smiled back. "So, what were you like when you were a baby?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Want me to start from the beginning?"  
  
"Please."  
  
Angel started the tale where he had first talked to Buffy over the phone and asked her to meet him at the little hotel. He didn't go into details, but he did tell the truth. He told Conner about when he found out he was going to be dad, how happy he had been. He told the tale of Buffy and his wedding. He told Conner what it was like watching Buffy's stomach get larger with their son. Angel told Conner about the time that he had almost lost both Buffy and him while she was pregnant. Conner sat and listened, completely fascinated by everything. He told Conner what it was like in the hospital waiting for news about Buffy and their son as Angel and Conner relocated to the living room. If they were ok or if Angel had to prepare for the worst. Then he told of the nights they had spent in the little room rocking Conner to sleep. Finally, Angel got to the part about what it was like to lose their baby boy and what lengths Buffy and Angel had gone to try to get him back. When Angel finished, Conner looked down for a long moment.  
  
"Son, what is it?" Angel asked.  
  
Conner stood and looked back up at Angel. "I didn't realize the extent of how much you and mom love me. I didn't realize what Holtz put you through. It makes me see him in a completely different light."  
  
"Holtz wasn't all that bad. He was just doing what he had been propelled to do. And yes, your mother and I love you very much. We would give up the world for you."  
  
"Can I.. can I hug you?"  
  
"Of course you can."  
  
Angel stood and he and Conner hugged tightly. It was the first time they had ever shared a moment as father and son. Angel looked up as he heard the door shut lightly. Buffy walked in and stopped on the threshold of the French doors. A huge smile covered her lovely features as she looked at the two most important men in her life finally letting go of their issues and taking the first step to being father and son.  
  
Conner pulled away and looked up at Angel. "I want to start to love you as my true father and I want to trust you like I trust mom."  
  
"I think we can arrange that." Angel said.  
  
"God, I hope we can!" Buffy said.  
  
Conner spun, startled by his mother's voice. "Mom!"  
  
"Buffy, where have you been?" Angel asked.  
  
"Chill. I had some issues to work out with Faith. We need to talk."  
  
"All right."  
  
"Conner, what are you doing up? You're supposed to be in bed."  
  
"That was my fault. He had some questions that needed answering."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'm sorry mom. I didn't mean to upset you." Conner said.  
  
"It's ok. I've just had a really strange night. Get to bed now kiddo. We both have school in the morning."  
  
"Goodnight mom. Goodnight dad." Conner kissed his mother on the cheek and hugged Angel again before jogging up the stairs.  
  
Angel looked at Buffy. "So, you said something about a talk?" 


	6. Deep Down part 1

Chapter 6  
  
"Spike with a soul." Angel said.  
  
"I'm still processing." Buffy said. She and Angel were on patrol the next night. Conner and Dawn were at home with Xander. That afternoon was the first chance Buffy had gotten to actually talk to her husband. There was a power outage the night she had told Angle about Spike's soul and everyone had woken up late. Buffy, Dawn, and Conner had been in a huge rush and hadn't even had time to eat. They had barely made it to school on time.  
  
"It's a lot to process."  
  
"I remember."  
  
"I do too."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"What? That was out of nowhere."  
  
"I love you Angel. Faith made me realize that I have the best family in the world and I don't want to ever lose that." Buffy stopped and faced Angel. He wrapped her in his arms. "I love you."  
  
"I love you." Angel kissed the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. "I wouldn't give my family up for the world. I'd sacrifice myself for each and every one of you."  
  
"Then please do." A gravelly voice said behind Angel.  
  
The lovers broke apart and turned to face the pack of demons. They were now surrounded by demons with bowling ball shaped heads. Their faces were small and stuck in the middle. Their bodies were large and ripped with muscles. Garlock demons. Buffy remembered reading about them in some text Wesley had given her back in High School.  
  
Suddenly a screeching noise above them made Buffy and Angel look up. Three demons glided down and closed the circle around Buffy and Angel, blocking their only escape. Toolian demons that looked more like a miniature pterodactyl. They were about two feet high on the ground, but they had a large wingspan of about a dozen feet. Their wings were used mainly for gliding. Buffy remembered that they could change form and pass as little people, but when they were in this form, their faces held long, narrow eyes spaced too close together and a large, heinous beak that could probably stab someone completely through with one jab.  
  
"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Angel asked politely.  
  
"We're after the vampire with a soul. I'm sniffin' and I smell a vampire in the vicinity. Vamp stink is pourin' off in waves off you. And the way you're huggin' on the Slayer there, well, that pretty much tells me you're that vamp we're lookin' for." The lead Garlock said.  
  
"I'm sorry, but my husband isn't available for interviews at this time. Get a hold of someone who cares." Buffy said.  
  
"We were sent to do our job and that's to get rid of this vamp."  
  
"Sent by who?"  
  
"Sent by me." A woman's voice said. Buffy recognized the voice just as the owner stepped through the ranks of demons. The voice belonged to Justine. "So, we meet again Slayer bitch." Justine was sporting a wicked looking scar on the side of her face. She noticed Buffy eyeing the scar. "It's nothing like yours, gotta admit, but it does seem to stand out a bit. Thanks to you anyway."  
  
"I didn't do that."  
  
"Sure, right. And I'm guessing that wasn't you that kicked in my face in on that boat?"  
  
"Oh, well, I did do that."  
  
"I'm just here to give Angelus what he deserves. We're going to finish what we started that night I got my pretty new scar. Boys."  
  
Four of the demons stepped aside and allowed three more Garlocks to step into the circle. They had long tri-pointed spears aimed at Conner, Dawn, and Xander's guts. Their hands were bound behind their backs and Conner had a black eye. He must have put up one hell of a fight to get that.  
  
"Mom! Dad! You're ok!" Conner said.  
  
"Conner." Buffy said. "What happened?"  
  
"They attacked us. Sorry about the mess in the house. We'll clean it up."  
  
"Don't worry about it. How'd they get in?"  
  
"They just sort of burst in."  
  
"It's ok. We're gonna get out of this."  
  
"Shut up!" Justine said. "Tuez, take the Slayer and that bastard son of hers out and give me the vampire."  
  
"What about the others?" Tuez, the lead Garlock asked.  
  
"We'll deal with them later. Right now I want to show this filthy vampire what's waiting him at the bottom of the ocean."  
  
The demons attacked. Buffy jumped and flipped over a demon's head, landing behind him and kicking him in the small of the back. He cried out as he fell, Buffy burying a stake in the demon's head. It didn't die and Buffy stared at it as it ripped the stake out.  
  
"Silver!" Angel called.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked, fending off a Toolian's sharp clawed feet.  
  
"Garlocks can only be killed by silver!"  
  
"Ok! Well, I don't have any of that handy! Well, except.." Buffy was cut off by the talons of another Toolian demon digging into her back. The talons ripped through the cloth of her shirt and Buffy screamed as they tore her flesh.  
  
"Buffy!"  
  
"Mom! I'm coming!" Conner yelled. He had broken free of his bonds and managed to get Xander and Dawn to the safety of a nearby crypt. With a flip he had learned from Buffy, Conner grabbed the Toolian's wings and pulled the demon away from her and tumbled end over end until they slammed into a large headstone. Before the demon could react, Conner grabbed the beak and the back of the demon's narrow skull and twisted violently, breaking the Toolian's neck.  
  
While that happened, a large group of Garlocks dog-piled Buffy and she yelled when pain ripped through her as she felt one of her ribs crack and heard a loud pop. Someone grabbed the demon that had sat on her rib and yanked him away. There was a loud snap and then a scream that sounded like Angel. Buffy cried out for her husband, but no answer came. Kicking furiously and using all her strength, she managed to dislodge enough of the large Garlocks and get to her knees.  
  
Buffy stood shakily as Conner rushed over to her and helped her up. "Mom, you're hurt bad."  
  
"I'm ok. We need to help your father." Buffy said.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"I don't know. Angel?" Buffy called.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
A few of the Garlock demons lay unconscious on the ground, some with broken necks, and others were climbing to their feet. Buffy looked all around, but Angel was nowhere to be found. Neither were Justine and Tuez.  
  
Conner sniffed a bit and then looked at a spot on the ground. Buffy saw it too and walked over to it. She bent down and gently wiped her finger across the ground. Her fingers came back wet and dark red.  
  
"It's dad's." Conner said.  
  
"How do you know?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I'm the son of a vampire. It smells like part of my blood."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"That's creepy." Xander said, walking up with Dawn.  
  
"You get used to it." Buffy stood up. "Ok. It's still early in the night. We're going to split up. Conner and I are going to see if we can follow Angel's blood. He was obviously wounded pretty badly for him to bleed like this. Xander, you take Dawn and try to get one of these guys to talk. Get Faith to help."  
  
"What about Spike?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Spike.. Is out. We can't use him."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'll tell you later. Right now I want to get to my husband before that hell bitch hurts him even more and hurts me."  
  
"How's she gonna hurt you?" Xander asked.  
  
"She's going to take my husband from me and finish what she tried to get Conner to help with. She's not gonna make it this time either. Not if I have anything to say about it." Buffy turned on her heel and walked off, Conner following.  
  
  
  
Justine had obviously taken Angel somewhere away from Sunnydale. Conner and Buffy had been looking for a while now and still no sign of her husband. They had asked everyone in Docktown if they had seen a red headed woman with a tall man with dark spiky hair and wearing all black. No one had seen anything. After one in the morning, Buffy decided they should go back to the scene of the fight and see what other clues they could pick up.  
  
Buffy bent and rubbed her fingers back over the darkened grass. Her finger came up dry. "The blood's dried. Harder to follow a trail when the water's run dry."  
  
"We'll find him mom. I promise." Conner said.  
  
Buffy stood and didn't face her son. "Did you do this?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did you have Justine finish the job? Take your father away from me when I least expected it. Pretend that you actually cared about us."  
  
"Mom, I would never. I had no idea that Justine was in town. I didn't give myself this black eye."  
  
"Conner, I'm sorry. It's just my nerves. And the last time she tried to put my Angel in the ocean forever, it was kind of your idea."  
  
"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't know."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Buffy!" Gunn called. Buffy and Conner turned to find Gunn and Fred running up to them.  
  
"Gunn!" Buffy said. They shared a hug and then her and Fred before Buffy got serious. "Angel's missing. There was a fight and he got taken. It was Justine."  
  
"We know. Xander told us. That demon they captured? He isn't talking. Not to discount the fact that Faith killed him."  
  
"Damn it."  
  
"We'll find him." Fred said.  
  
  
  
Angel was completely out of it. Justine had hit him with some sort of calyinthia powder. Not to mention that he had lost a lot of blood and was probably still losing more because he kept getting woozier by the minute. One of the demons had stabbed him deeply in the side and it had hit one of his big arteries. Not that it beat, but a lot of his blood stayed there and it was all spread out through Sunnydale Cemetery and wherever he was now.  
  
Delusions filled his mind, sometimes even his vision. At one point he was at the Hyperion having Christmas dinner with his family at a huge dining table. Conner and Buffy sat to each side of him as he sat at the head of the table. Dawn, Lorne, Fred, and Gunn sat beside Conner and Cordelia, Xander, Giles, and Willow sat next to Buffy. At the other side of the table, Wesley was there. Everyone was happy and he and Buffy were expecting another child. It had been pleasant, but, like all his other hallucinations, it ended horribly. Wesley tried to kill him, Buffy lay bleeding on the floor because she had had a miscarriage, Conner sat next to her crying, and the rest of the family was nowhere to be found.  
  
Angel woke up from the dream/ hallucination and cried out at the pain in his side. He looked around, but there was nothing to look at. Concrete walls surrounded him and nothing but a metal chair sat in the corner. Angel could smell blood and knew that it was his own. He didn't know how long he'd been in there, but it had been quite a while. Every now and then, someone would come in and wipe up the blood. They had taken his concealed weapons and destroyed his favorite leather duster Buffy had gotten him for Christmas last year.  
  
The door opened and Justine stepped through with a bunch of people Angel recognized from Holtz's old group. She crouched in front of him and looked into his glazed eyes.  
  
"He's lost a lot of blood. He's not going to be a problem anymore. Hopefully, we'll dump him tomorrow. We're still trying to find that metal coffin that his little whore dumped in the ocean."  
  
"She's not a whore, bitch." Angel whispered, barely audible to anyone.  
  
"Let's go. I just wanted to make sure that he hadn't tried to kill himself."  
  
"With what? You got rid of everything." One of the men asked.  
  
As they walked out, Justine argued with the man. Angel watched them as his vision fuzzed then he blacked out into another hallucination.  
  
  
  
"It's been a day since he was taken! She's probably already dumped him." Buffy sobbed. "I'll never see my husband again!"  
  
"Yes you will." Gunn said. "I'm not going to let you lose him again. We're going to find him."  
  
"He's fading fast. I can feel it in my soul. I'm going to lose him forever this time."  
  
"Buffy, please don't say that." Fred said. "Gunn's right. We are going to find Angel and he's going to be ok. Maybe he can look forward to the time you get to spend nursing him back to health."  
  
"Fred? Can we back off with the dirty images?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"He's slipping. My soul is dying with his." Buffy sobbed softly.  
  
Gunn pulled her into a tight hug and allowed her to cry. Fred gently rubbed Buffy's back and said soothing words. After a while, Buffy's sobs turned into silent tears. She pulled away from Gunn, but he didn't let her go. He looked down into her wet, red eyes and said, "I promise you: Angel is not dead and he's not going to die. We are going to find him and get him back for you. For all of us. You both are my best friends and if anything happened to either of you, there'd be hell to pay."  
  
"Where's Wesley? He was supposed to be here by now." Fred asked.  
  
Buffy looked up and then back at Gunn as he released her and walked to the desk in her bedroom. "You called Wesley?"  
  
"We had too. He's the only one keeping tabs on Justine. He should know where she'd've taken Angel." Gunn said.  
  
"You called the man that stole my son and handed him over to our enemy to my house?"  
  
"Buffy, it's really time you start forgiving. Conner's back. He's happy. Your family is together."  
  
"That's not the point. I'm not ready to forgive him. He had an equal part in stealing my son's childhood."  
  
"I understand that! I'm sure he's.."  
  
"Sorry? I don't really care what he is. I'm sure Angel doesn't either. Sure, I'll admit it! A part of me does WANT to forgive him, but a much, much bigger part of me says 'HELL NO!'" Buffy stormed out of her and Angel's bedroom and bounded down the stairs. She grabbed her coat and yanked open the door. Wesley stood on the other side; finger an inch away from the doorbell.  
  
"Buffy!" Wesley said.  
  
Buffy crossed her arms. "Do you know where he's at or not?"  
  
"I may."  
  
"Is that a threat?"  
  
"No. It's not. I'm speaking from personal experience: it's not smart to piss off a Slayer."  
  
"You just now got that lesson through your head?"  
  
"I don't know if Justine has stayed in the same place or not, but if she has, I know where to find her."  
  
"Then take me there."  
  
Conner rushed up behind Buffy. "I'm going too."  
  
Buffy turned to her son. "No. You're staying here."  
  
"He's my father. I want to help find him."  
  
"I know that. I just don't want you to get hurt."  
  
"Mom, I'm already hurt." Conner pointed to his black eye.  
  
"Ok, I don't want you any more hurt."  
  
"I'm going."  
  
"No, you're not."  
  
"Just let him Buffy. He's got a will like his mother's." Xander said.  
  
Buffy sighed and looked Conner in the eyes. He had a look of resolve on his face that would shame Willow's resolve face. "Fine. Grab your coat. Xander, stay here with Dawn. Gunn and Fred are coming with us."  
  
"Right."  
  
"We'll be back one way or another. I promise."  
  
"Buffy, be careful." Dawn said.  
  
"I love you Dawnie. Be safe, all of you."  
  
Buffy, Conner, Fred, and Gunn followed Wesley out. Buffy jumped behind the wheel of Angel's convertible and revved the engine. Conner climbed into the passenger seat and Gunn and Fred climbed in back. They followed Wesley out of town and about an hour away to a warehouse far off the main road and near a hidden dock. 


	7. Deep Down part 2

A/N This is how my version of "Deep Down" should have went. Angel and Cordy kissage! ICK! I almost cried when I saw that. I did scream at the TV and threw my cross necklace at it yelling CORDY IS THE DEVIL at the top of my lungs. It was interesting to see. My mom now officially thinks I'm insane. Enjoy!  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Angel lay on the concrete floor listening to the sounds outside of his door. Twice already he had imagined that Buffy had come in and saved him. Twice he was disappointed by his mind. The bloodlust that was now upon him was great. He had no blood left and the blood on his shirt was completely dry. Vampires couldn't die from loss of all their blood, but it was like starving for three months. Angel jumped at the sound of a bursting door and he turned to look at his door, but it was closed.  
  
  
  
Buffy slammed her foot into the metal door of the warehouse and watched as it slammed open and against the wall, breaking the doorframe. Men lounging around stood up and turned to face her. Conner stepped up beside her and watched as two of the men fled the room. Buffy sized it up to be about fifteen people. Four girls, minus Justine, who was nowhere in the large room, and eleven men. The demons were nowhere to found or heard. This was going to be fun.  
  
"Conner, go easy on them. They're only human." Buffy said as she started towards a large man with an axe. He threw it at her and she caught it by the staff and whipped it around in the air in front of her. A few of the men stepped up to fight her and Buffy smiled cruelly, twirling the axe blade around her. "Who wants to play?"  
  
"I do." Justine said. She stepped from some small office room and broke through the men. "I would love to play."  
  
"Then bring it." Buffy turned. "Conner!" Her son turned to look at her and she hurled the axe in his direction. Conner caught it with little effort and flipped it in front of him, severing a sword that a man was trying to shove at him. When Buffy turned back, Justine was throwing a punch at her. She barely ducked in time.  
  
Justine grunted with frustration at the lithe Slayer's movements. Buffy whipped around and punched a severe backhand into Justine's stomach. The red head doubled over and Buffy brought her knee up into Justine's face, tossing her backward. The Slayer was not showing any mercy on this woman. When Justine stood up and looked at her, Buffy threw a punch at the woman's jaw, intending to break it. Justine managed to block and throw a punch at Buffy's temple. Buffy grabbed her arm and twisted, bringing the arm up and behind Justine's back. Justine cried out in pain and Buffy caused more by flipping the woman over her head. She was about to stomp on the woman's stomach to knock the wind out of her when Wesley called out sternly, "Buffy!"  
  
Buffy turned and saw Wesley holding a very pale Angel. She started to head over to him, but Justine grabbed her leg and tripped her. Buffy rolled and popped back up. She turned and kicked Justine in the ribs ruthlessly, breaking a few of them. Justine screamed and Buffy kicked her in the head, knocking her out, before rushing over to Angel.  
  
"He needs blood." Wesley said. "I didn't bring any."  
  
"I didn't know we were supposed to." Buffy said. She thought about something for a second, and then said, "Put him down." Wesley did as she said and Buffy laid Angel's head in her lap. His eyes opened and he looked at her.  
  
"Buffy?" Angel asked, barely a whisper.  
  
"It's me. We're going to make sure your all right. I'm not going to lose you."  
  
"You're an illusion."  
  
"No, I'm not." Buffy looked up at Wesley. "Help me get him outside. I don't want Conner to have to see this."  
  
Wesley nodded and helped her pick Angel up. Together, Wesley and Buffy got Angel through the fight and outside. She propped Angel against the side of the building and took his head.  
  
"Baby, you need to eat." Buffy said gently.  
  
"No. Not again." Angel said, a little stronger. It took its toll on him and he slumped further on the wall. He would have fallen to the ground if Buffy hadn't been holding him.  
  
"It'll heal you quick. And I know you won't kill me." Buffy held out her hand. "Wesley, give me that knife."  
  
"Why?" Wesley asked. "What knife?"  
  
"The one in your jacket pocket. You've never been able to conceal stuff very well."  
  
Wesley sighed and handed her the knife. "Buffy, don't do this. By the looks of him, he could take it all, killing you."  
  
"Maybe, but if it'll allow him to live, then so be it." Buffy turned and listened to sounds of the fight dying down. "I need to hurry. If I'm going to do it, I need to do it now. Watch for Conner." Wesley nodded after a few seconds and turned to the door, giving Buffy and Angel their privacy. Buffy looked down at the knife hesitantly and ten brought it to her neck just above her scar.  
  
Angel watched as she drew the blade across her skin and allowed a slight trail of blood to appear. The moment he smelled the blood, the sweet aroma of the life force of his Slayer, his face changed. Buffy closed her eyes and brought Angel's head down to her neck. She felt his tongue lap up the blood already pooled there and then he bit down. Buffy cried out just a little and Wesley flinched. Angel sucked greedily on her neck. Buffy winced as she felt a trickle fall down the back of her neck just like the last time she had allowed Angel to bite her.  
  
"Mom!" Conner yelled. He barreled over Wesley, knocking him unconscious when he hit the wall, and tackled Angel to the ground, bringing Buffy with them. Angel's teeth were torn from her throat as she fell away from him. "Don't you ever touch her again you bastard!" Conner started to punch Angel continuously in the face. Still weak, Angel could do nothing but take it.  
  
"Conner." Buffy croaked. She was laying on the ground, too weak to stand. He didn't hear her. "Conner, stop." Buffy tried again a little louder and her son did stop. "Please don't."  
  
"You said he wasn't evil. You said he would never hurt us."  
  
"I made him." Buffy tried to roll, but loss of blood made her woozy and she nearly threw up.  
  
Conner left Angel and went to his mother. He sat behind her and lifted her so she was leaning against his chest. "Why?"  
  
"I would have lost him."  
  
"He would have gone completely insane from the hunger. His brain would have ceased functioning." Wesley said, getting to his feet.  
  
"God knows we don't need two crazy vampires right now." Buffy tried to sit up, but the nausea came back and she fell back against Conner's chest. Gunn and Fred came rushing out and found Angel slumping against the wall of the warehouse, Buffy laying against Conner's chest, and Wesley trying to help Angel to stand.  
  
Then Gunn saw the blood on Angel's lips and the open wound on Buffy's neck. "You son of a bitch!" Gunn started to head for Angel, ready to rip his head off.  
  
"Gunn, stop." Buffy said firmly. Gunn turned to her.  
  
"She made him." Conner said. "He would have been a vegetable if she hadn't."  
  
"He could have killed you." Gunn said to Buffy.  
  
"I know. And that was a chance I was willing to take to make sure Angel was fine." Buffy said. "Now help me up before I throw up on my son."  
  
"Buffy?" Angel asked quietly from the wall.  
  
She lolled her head painfully to the side as Conner took Buffy from Gunn and picked her up off her feet. Buffy smiled weakly. "Stop almost dying."  
  
"Didn't mean to."  
  
"I know. Are you ok?"  
  
"Question is: are YOU ok? That's the fourth time you've been bitten. I don't want you to do that again."  
  
"Then you stop almost dying."  
  
Angel leaned heavily against Wesley as he led Angel over to Buffy in Conner's arms. He looked down at his wife and kissed her forehead. "Can we go home now?"  
  
"Not so damn fast." Justine said behind them.  
  
They all looked at her. She was broken and bloody. One arm was wrapped around her waist where Buffy had savagely broken a few of her ribs. Her left eye was swollen shut and she had a large cut on the right side of her jaw line. Angel stood straighter and left Wesley a step behind him.  
  
"You're to weak to take me." Justine said.  
  
"You really think that?" Angel asked. Justine made a pass to get past Angel, but he slammed her against the wall. "I'm not done talking."  
  
"Fine."  
  
"I know about everything that's been going on. So, as far as I'm concerned what you deserve rests on one answer: Did you do something to Cordelia?"  
  
"No."  
  
"She's lying." Fred said.  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"No way she just happened to disappear the same night." Gunn said.  
  
"I'm telling the truth, ok?"  
  
"I know. I can tell. Spent enough time with liars like you. What you did to me was unbelievable, Justine. But then, I got stuck in a hell dimension by my girlfriend one time for a hundred years, so a couple of days of bleeding and hallucinating actually gave me perspective. Kind of a M. C. Esher perspective, but I did get time to think. About everything, about the world. Nothing in the world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh, and cruel. But that's why there's us." Angel said, motioning to the people behind him. "Champions. It doesn't matter where we come from, what we've done or suffered, or even if we make a difference. We live as though the world was what it should be, to show it what it can be. You're not a part of that. You'll never be a part of that. Now get the hell out of our town and LA. I don't want to ever see your face again."  
  
Justine got up and ran away. When she was out of sight, Angel collapsed almost hitting the ground before Gunn and Wesley caught him.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy called.  
  
"All that talking really takes it out of you." Angel said.  
  
"You need rest. You and Buffy both." Fred said.  
  
"What we need is to get ready. Willow's coming home tomorrow." Buffy said.  
  
"Mom, you won't be well." Conner said.  
  
"I'll be well enough. I heal fast."  
  
Gunn and Fred led the way to Angel's convertible. Conner laid Buffy in the backseat, her head resting against Angel's knee. Angel sat drooped against the back of the seat. The way the two were laying, there was no room for Conner. So, he got up front with Gunn and Fred.  
  
Before they drove off, Fred called to Wesley, "Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm done here. You all are welcome for the help." Wesley said before slamming his door shut and pealing out.  
  
Gunn and Fred got everyone home safely. Buffy and Angel managed to undress themselves for bed, although it wasn't much. Angel only wore his boxers and Buffy in her bra and underwear. Conner covered his parents up with Dawn's help and allowed the two lovers, the two champions, to sleep peacefully almost all day Sunday. When 4:00 rolled around, the two were roused out of their deep sleep in each other's arms to get ready for Willow's homecoming. 


	8. Same Time, Same Place part 1

A/N If you saw the episode, there were two versions. Mine's all from Buffy and Angel's P.O.V. Sorry it took so long to get up. I had to find the script to the episode and then, you know, write it. So, enjoy.  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Buffy yawned and watched as the passengers started to unload from the plane that Willow was supposed to be on. Angel yawned right after Buffy. As she laid her head down on Angel's shoulder, they both yawned together. Buffy winced a little from the bite in her neck and Angel wrapped his arm around her. Conner stood next to Buffy and Dawn stood next to Angel. Xander stood next to Dawn holding a large sign that said "Welcome Home Willow" written in yellow crayon.  
  
"You think she'll get the sign?" Xander asked.  
  
Buffy lifted her head and looked at the sign. "Get the sign? I don't think she's gonna see the sign."  
  
"Why is it so pale?" Conner asked.  
  
"I used yellow crayon. It was a thing from when I talked to Willow on the bluff. I hope she gets it." Xander said, lifting the sign proudly.  
  
"Oh, tell us again what you said." Dawn said.  
  
"Well, I was talking from my heart and I knew Evil Willow wasn't really ready to.. You were kidding."  
  
"Mm-hmm. A little bit."  
  
"We've heard the crayon speech a few times." Angel said.  
  
"Not that it's not great, of course." Buffy added.  
  
"I saved the world with talking from my mouth. My mouth saved the world." Xander said grinning.  
  
"Uh-huh. I'm getting nervous. Are you nervous?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Yeah. It's gonna be weird seeing her. What do you say to someone in this situation?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I'm gonna say 'Hi, Willow.'" Xander said.  
  
"C'mon. You're saying it's not going to be the least bit strange? We saw her kill someone. She was about to kill Dawn.."  
  
"And Giles wouldn't let her leave unless she completed that whatever recovery course."  
  
"Right." Dawn said. She looked at Buffy and she smiled guiltily back. Dawn looked at Angel. "Right?"  
  
"She kinda didn't finish." Angel said.  
  
"She didn't finish? She didn't finish being not evil?"  
  
"H-he said it was really important that she come back early and that she was doing really well and we shouldn't worry." Buffy said.  
  
"Guys, I just noticed something. Everyone's off the plane, so where's aunt Willow?" Conner asked.  
  
Buffy, Angel, Dawn, and Xander turned to look at the flight attendants closing the door. Willow was nowhere to be found. Buffy and Angel looked at each other worriedly.  
  
"You don't think she would have?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I don't know." Angel said.  
  
"Maybe she took an earlier flight and we just missed her." Xander said.  
  
"Let's go home and see if she's there."  
  
"Good idea." Buffy said.  
  
They all headed back towards the new van that Angel had bought for Buffy and the family. It had a large backseat and then two seats in the middle and then the driver's seat and the passenger's seat up front. It also had a small TV that Angel had bought a Playstation 2 for so Dawn and Conner would have something to do while the traveled back and forth between Sunnydale and LA. Xander climbed into the driver's seat and Dawn got in the passenger seat. Buffy and Angel climbed into the backseat and pretty much fell asleep against each other. Conner climbed into the seat behind the driver's seat and turned on the little TV that had the Playstation attached to it.  
  
The ride home was short and quiet. Dawn and Xander talked quietly in the front seats about Willow. Conner played his video game with the volume turned off and Buffy and Angel slept peacefully in the back seat. About a block from the house, Xander had Conner wake the two up. As they walked up from the driveway, Xander brought Willow back up.  
  
Buffy opened the door saying, "They absolutely put her on the plane in London."  
  
"So, she got off in Chicago when they stopped?" Xander asked.  
  
"She could've caught a flight anywhere from there." Dawn added.  
  
"Maybe she doubled back. Got off the plane in London after Giles left." Angel said.  
  
"Well, if she's doing that.. ducking Giles.. then, she's evil, right?"  
  
"Well, I've avoided Giles tons of times. Just meant I was lazy, not evil." Xander asked.  
  
"I hope you're right, because defeating Lazy Willow.. probably less hard." Buffy said.  
  
"We should check the messages, see if she tried to reach us here." Conner said.  
  
"That's a good idea." A noise came from upstairs. It sounded like something being dropped in Buffy and Angel's room.  
  
"What was that?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Upstairs."  
  
"Willow, is that you?" Xander called.  
  
Buffy and Angel ran up the stairs and into their room. They checked all the rooms and found nothing. Buffy called Giles and he confirmed that Willow had indeed left London. With a shrug, they headed back downstairs.  
  
"Definitely not up there." Buffy said.  
  
"She didn't leave a message." Dawn said.  
  
"I checked with Giles again, too. Hasn't heard from her."  
  
"Is he throwing a tasteful British wiggins?" Xander said.  
  
"Oh, with extra wig. He's blaming himself pretty hard, like he should've known she wasn't ready to come back. I-I kept telling him, you know, it wasn't his fault. Maybe something about us she couldn't face." Buffy said as they all sat on the couch. She sat between Angel's legs on the couch and leaned back to rest on his chest. Conner sat on the floor in front of her, Dawn sat next to Xander in the middle of the couch, and Xander sat against the opposite end from Buffy and Angel.  
  
"Like she didn't think we were ready to forgive her? I get that." Xander said.  
  
"So Giles is blaming Giles, and we're blaming us. Is anyone gonna blame Willow?" Dawn asked. Everyone turned to stare at her a gawk. "Oh, don't give me shock face. I mean, will anyone around here ever start asking for help when they need it?"  
  
"Look, if Willow flipped out, it's her bad. We can only be here for her so much if she won't be, you know, here." Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"Ok, I know this is going to sound really mom-ish, but guess what. It's time for bed for you two." Buffy said looking at Dawn and Conner. "We all have to go to school in the morning." Dawn and Conner both groaned. "Up, up, up. Let's go." The two stood up. "I'll be up in a minute to say goodnight."  
  
"Fine!" Dawn called back.  
  
"I guess that means I should hop in my car and split, huh?" Xander asked.  
  
"Yeah." Buffy said with a yawn.  
  
"Are you two gonna be ok?"  
  
"We'll be fine." Angel said between a yawn.  
  
"You guys have been laggin' all day. Well, minus the big part where you slept."  
  
"Just lack of blood on both our parts. If you'll remember correctly, the last time Angel nearly sucked me dry, after Graduation that is, I slept for almost a week straight." Buffy said.  
  
"You were also really depressed because Angel left."  
  
"That too."  
  
"All right. Good night guys." Xander left and Buffy locked the door behind him.  
  
He was so tired that she barely made it up the stairs. Angel had to practically carry her up the last few steps. They made sure Conner and Dawn were settled in bed and then they went to bed themselves. The next morning the alarm barely woke them up. They were a little better that day, but just as Angel dropped them off at the school, Xander called Buffy's cell. He had found a body at one of the construction sites on school grounds. Buffy shooed Conner and Dawn off to find Kit and Carlos and then she and Angel went to talk to Xander. Faith was there with him when they arrived.  
  
"No skin." Buffy said.  
  
"Tough to look at." Xander said.  
  
"And yet my eyes refuse to look away. Stupid eyes."  
  
"I found it first thing this morning. I gave my crew the day off, and I called Faith and then you guys right away."  
  
"I got to get a job where I don't get called right away for this stuff."  
  
"Yeah, I know exactly what you're thinking. Maybe Willow is back."  
  
Buffy looked up at Xander and frowned. Angel was the one who spoke up. "I don't know. Let's talk to Spike. See if he's seen anything weird."  
  
"Good idea." Buffy said. "Xander, stay here and watch for people who might wander by and get curious." Xander nodded and Faith, Angel, and Buffy left. They walked through the school and down into the basement. It was still a maze like the last time Buffy and Angel had been there.  
  
"You think they made this complicated enough?" Angel asked.  
  
"We can't use the blueprints to find our way around down here? It's like the walls move or something." Faith replied.  
  
"Out! This is my place." They heard Spike yell from another room.  
  
"I think I hear him." Buffy said sarcastically.  
  
"You need permission to be here. You need a special slip with a stamp." Spike kept going as Angel, Faith, and Buffy walked through a door and found him pacing around a large storage room. ".. And put your heart back in where it fell out. You call yourself finished, but you're not. Worse than ever, you are.."  
  
"Spike." Buffy said. He stopped but didn't turn to her.  
  
"Spike." Faith said. This time he did turn.  
  
"You went away. You've been gone since.." Spike said to her.  
  
"The church. You scared me a little. I didn't.. I didn't know what to think."  
  
"We're here for a reason, Spike." Angel said.  
  
"Tragedy." Spike faced right, away from them. "Is there blood?"  
  
"He knows. He must have seen the body." Faith said.  
  
"You did it once. I heard about it."  
  
"Spike, we need to know who did this." Buffy said.  
  
Spike turned and walked towards Faith. "Look at you.. glowing. What's a word means 'glowing?' Gotta rhyme."  
  
"Spike, please.." Faith said.  
  
"I-I-I should hide. Hide from you. Hide my face. You know what I did." Spike backed away from Faith.  
  
"Boy, he's extra-useful today." Angel said.  
  
"This isn't the time." Buffy whispered to Angel.  
  
"Everyone's talking to me. No one's talking to each other." Spike said.  
  
"Might as well go." Buffy said to Faith. Faith nodded and they started to walk off.  
  
Spike stopped them. "Someone isn't here. Button, button.. who's got the button? My money's on the witch." Spike looked back over towards the right. Faith, Angel, and Buffy stopped and turned back. "Red's a bad girl."  
  
"He's talking about Willow." Faith said.  
  
"And that means something because he's chock-full-o-sanity?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Maybe he saw her." Angel said.  
  
"They think you did it. The slayers and the vampire. They think you took the skin." Spike said to the right again.  
  
"Is there something here? Something that killed?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I have to go. There are things here without permission. I have to check their slips. Make sure they have authorization." Spike said, walking away into the deep shadows.  
  
Faith started to go after him, but Buffy stopped her. Faith turned, looking ready to beat the shit out of Buffy, but Buffy shook her head slightly and Faith lowered her head. Buffy took her hand and led Faith back out to the hall upstairs. Faith and Angel walked Buffy to the main office.  
  
"I gotta get to work." Buffy said. "I'll see you after school?" She asked Angel.  
  
"I'll pick you all up at 2:30. We've got some research to do." Angel said.  
  
"Goody."  
  
"Count me out. I want to try to talk to Spike. You know, see what we're going to do." Faith said.  
  
"Ok. I'll be up here if you need help. Not many kids have heard that the young counselor that's ready to help is, well, ready."  
  
"Yeah. Later B. Later Angel face." Faith walked off and Buffy turned back to Angel.  
  
"Have a great day at work sweetheart." Angel said sweetly.  
  
"Bite me." Buffy said.  
  
"Already did." Angel pointed to her neck and Buffy batted his hand away playfully. He caught it and pulled her closer to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down for a passionate kiss. Just as their lips were about to meet, someone cleared their throat next to them in the doorway to the office.  
  
Buffy turned her head to see who it was. "Principal Wood."  
  
"Mrs. Summers." Principal Wood said. "Demonstration to the kiddies on a loving and safe marriage?"  
  
"No, just saying goodbye."  
  
"You have work to do."  
  
"I'm getting on it." Principal Wood nodded and walked off down the hallway. Buffy looked back up at Angel. "Only my second week of school and already I'm in trouble. Thank you."  
  
"I'll make it up to you." Angel said.  
  
"Promise?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
Angel gave Buffy a small kiss on the lips and then turned and headed back to the van.  
  
  
  
Dawn sat at the computer, Xander and Buffy had books open in front of them, and Angel was with Conner in the living room working on some new weapons Angel had picked up. They were trying to find some type of skin flaying demon that would let Willow off the hook.  
  
"Ok, so I looked up demons that skin their victims and demons that flay their victims 'cause, you know, same thing. There's a ton of prospects. Anything else gone? Uh, eyeballs, toenails or viscera? That's guts." Dawn said.  
  
"She knows about viscera. Makes you proud." Buffy said.  
  
"Just skin." Xander said.  
  
"Ok, I'll work on that." Dawn said.  
  
She went back to pecking the keys on the keyboard while Buffy stood and went to a corner of the room to watch Angel and Conner. Xander got up and walked over to her.  
  
"What's up?" he asked.  
  
"I need to do something. I just.. I have this feeling in my gut.." Buffy said.  
  
"In your viscera!"  
  
".. That we know exactly who did this. And all of this work that we're doing is just a way for us to convince ourselves that Willow's ok."  
  
"Oh, guys!" Dawn said. "I got a good one. A demon called 'Gnarl.' He's a parasite with these nasty long fingernails. He secretes something through them and uses that to paralyze his victims. He then cuts strips of their skin while they're still alive. It takes hours."  
  
"We didn't find any strips of skin. Which, by the way, ggaahhhh!" Xander said.  
  
"You wouldn't. He eats them. That's why he's a parasite. It's like his natural food."  
  
"Dawn, you're new at this, and I get why you're proud, but I'm not exactly sure why this demon is any more likely than any of the others." Buffy said.  
  
"You never said pool of blood."  
  
"There was no pool, just splatters." Angel said, coming in with Conner.  
  
"See! Then this is your guy. He laps up the blood. You could say it's like his natural beverage."  
  
"You're terrifying." Xander said.  
  
"Now if we just knew how to find this thing."  
  
"Well, we could ask some questions over at Willy's place."  
  
"Or, we could be smart. Sorry, Xander." Angel said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Whoever did this had to get blood on them, which means they left a trail."  
  
"Right, minute traces of blood." Dawn said.  
  
"And we have a way to track it." Buffy said.  
  
"We have a.. Oh, I get it."  
  
"What? How? What's going on?" Xander asked.  
  
"We're gonna use Angel and Conner!" Dawn said.  
  
"No, we're going to use Spike. We need to try to help Faith out. She's working with him. Trying to get his sanity back in line." Buffy said. "I think using Spike will make both of them feel like they're supported."  
  
"Good plan." Xander said.  
  
"Then let's go." Conner said.  
  
"Well, we kind of have to wait till sundown." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, right. I knew that." 


	9. Same Time, Same Place part 2

Chapter 9  
  
"William's a good boy. Carries her water, carries her sin. Supposed to get easier, isn't it. Supposed to help to help, but it doesn't. Still so heavy." Spike mumbled.  
  
Buffy, Angel, Faith, Conner, and Dawn followed Spike through the woods. Xander had decided to stay at his house and work on some building plans for one of his clients. Buffy had gone to the High School and found Faith sitting in a corner watching Spike pace his little room in the basement. Faith had gotten Spike to take them to wherever the demon was hiding out at. As soon as Spike found the demon's lair, Faith was taking him back to the High School. Spike refused to go back to their apartment, so Faith was forced to see him in the basement.  
  
"Should've put a leash on him." Angel said.  
  
"Yes, let's tie ourselves to the crazy vampire." Buffy said.  
  
"You really think it's gonna work?" Conner asked.  
  
"It's pretty easy. Spike follows the exciting smell of blood, and we follow the fairly ripe smell of Spike."  
  
"It's smellementary. Also, I'm sure there's tons of stuff like this. You know, procedures we can use that don't involve magic spells. Just good solid detective work. And we can develop a database of tooth impressions and demon skin samples and I could wear high heels more often." Dawn said.  
  
"Wow, that was so close to being empowered."  
  
"Everybody loves a slender ankle."  
  
Spike had stopped walking. He was standing still, staring through the bushes at a rock cliff. The group caught up to him. "That's it. End of the line. Everyone off." Spike turned to Angel. "Keep your ticket, you'll need that."  
  
"That's a rock cliff." Angel said.  
  
"Well, give him a break, Dad. Maybe it's a vicious skin-eating rock cliff." Conner said.  
  
"There's a cave in it. Look." Spike pushed the bush aside to reveal a little crevice in the rock. He turned to Buffy and said, "I'm insane. What's his excuse?"  
  
Spike started to walk away and Faith turned to Buffy. "I'll catch ya later B. Sorry I can't stay for the fun."  
  
"Oh, it's ok. I'm sure we can maim a demon without you." Buffy said, watching Faith walk after Spike.  
  
Angel took Buffy's hand and the group walked up to the cave. After standing at the opening for a second, Buffy climbed in. Conner, Dawn, and then Angel followed. The cave was large and water dripped somewhere off in the dark shadows.  
  
"Dark and dank. I was hoping it'd be dark and dank." Angel said.  
  
"Shh! Do you hear that?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Now I do."  
  
"Something's moving in here." Conner said.  
  
"Guess we're in the right place." Buffy said.  
  
"Look at the shorn lamb. See how she trembles. Is it the cold wind? Or is it that the flock is nowhere to be seen?" a creepy, Hannibal Lector voice said. "Poor little lamb all alone."  
  
"You guys hear that, right?" Conner asked.  
  
"Yup." Angel said.  
  
"It's echoing. I know it sounds close, but I don't think.." Buffy was cut off by Gnarl jumping out and slashing Dawn on the abdomen before jumping away. "Dawn! Are you ok?"  
  
"I guess so." Dawn said. She sounded weak and then she uncovered her stomach to show a large gash across it. "Poison paralyzes."  
  
Buffy and Angel caught Dawn before she fell. "Dawn. Ok, we need to get her out of here. We'll deal with him later. Seal him in." Buffy said.  
  
Conner got out of the cave first and Buffy and Angel shoved Dawn through. Angel shoved Buffy though then he scrambled out himself. Conner held Dawn up while Buffy and Angel worked to close the opening to the cave. Their strength had returned enough that they were able to work fast moving the heavy rocks. As soon as they were sure that the opening was closed enough, Buffy and Angel took Dawn. Each took an arm and put it around their shoulders. Conner walked behind them making sure no one tripped.  
  
"The computer. That thing aunt Dawn was reading might have an antidote for the paralysis." Conner said.  
  
"Um, Buffy?" Dawn asked, her lips not moving because of the paralysis.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I'm really sorry."  
  
"Oh, it's ok."  
  
"You couldn't help it. It had paralyzing fingernails." Angel said.  
  
"Just like you said it would, so good on you."  
  
"Yeah team me." Dawn mumbled sarcastically.  
  
"We're just gonna get you home and, you know, lay you down."  
  
"Whoopie."  
  
Buffy and Angel maneuvered Dawn back to the van and laid her on the floor. Conner sat in the space between the passenger and driver's seat and watched the road. Angel sped home, fishtailing a couple of times on turns. Buffy kept telling him to slow down a little and Angel responded that they had to get back to the cave to get rid of the demon. When they reached home, Buffy and Angel went to the sliding door and opened it. Before Angel could pick up Dawn's shoulders, Buffy whacked him hard on the arm.  
  
"Ow!" Angel yelled.  
  
"I told you to slow down. That damn demon is stuck in the cave. My sister is just paralyzed, not infected with the bubonic plague." Buffy said.  
  
"Sorry!"  
  
"Let's just get her inside." Buffy lifted Dawn's feet as soon as Angel got most of her body out of the van. They walked her up to the door and Conner went in first, holding the door open. "OK, watch-watch the head."  
  
"Gotcha." Angel said.  
  
"Watch my head. Watch my head!" Dawn mumbled through a tightly closed mouth.  
  
"Sofa."  
  
Conner moved some pillows out of the way and Buffy and Angel dropped Dawn down. She landed face facing downwards.  
  
"Face up! Face up!" Dawn mumble/yelled.  
  
"She's right, face up is better." Angel moved her so she could face upwards and breath.  
  
"Ok, I'm gonna check the computer. Find that page. See if there's an antidote." Buffy said.  
  
"It'll be all right. We'll get you fixed up." Conner said.  
  
"You'll be doing limbo in no time." Angel said with a smile.  
  
"Yeah, as a pole." Dawn mumbled.  
  
"No, not as a pole. I promise."  
  
"Oh, got it." Buffy called from the dining room. "It says the paralysis is permanent." Dawn squeaked. "No, oh, wait, my bad. Permanent until the creature dies. Sorry." She got up and walked into the living room. "Guess we have to go back."  
  
"We can't just leave her here like this. What if she vomits?" Conner asked.  
  
"Ew. I won't vomit!" Dawn mumble/yelled.  
  
"Do you think she'll vomit?" Buffy asked Angel.  
  
"Stop talking about vomit!"  
  
"I'll call Anya. She can watch her."  
  
"What about Xander?" Angel asked.  
  
"He's busy. I don't want to bother him."  
  
"Right, Anya'll love being called for vomit watch."  
  
Buffy shrugged and walked over to the phone while Dawn mumble/yelled, "Stop talking about vomit!"  
  
Buffy hung up the phone after a few minutes of talking. "She's on her way."  
  
"Ok. What about Conner?" Angel asked.  
  
"What about Conner!?" Conner asked.  
  
"Yeah, what about him?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, I don't want the same thing happening to him that happened to Dawn." Angel said. "That demon is fast."  
  
"And Conner's not? What about me?"  
  
"I don't want you going either, but I pretty much have no choice in that one."  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Mom! I wanna go with you guys! I wanna fight that demon!" Conner said.  
  
"I know, I know. But maybe your father's right. I don't want to have to be worried about you and fighting at the same time. I'm pretty sure that this Gnarl demon has no taste for undead flesh. Sorry honey." Buffy said to Angel. He nodded back.  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"Hey! You could help Anya watch Dawn." Angel said.  
  
The doorbell rang and Buffy went to get it. "Anya! Thanks for coming."  
  
"Yes, hi. What's going on?" Anya asked. Then she saw Dawn. "Oh!"  
  
"Yeah, oh."  
  
"I bet she's dying."  
  
"She's not dying. She's just paralyzed."  
  
"Oh. Paralyzed how?"  
  
"Paralyzed how? In the not moving way." Angel said.  
  
"Well, there's lots of different ways. Did you try this?" Anya took Dawn's legs and lifted them up ninety degrees, bending her at the waist. Her legs didn't fall back down.  
  
"Hey!" Buffy said, amused.  
  
"Hey!" Dawn mumble/yelled angrily.  
  
"Oh! You're poseable!" Conner said.  
  
"She's poseable?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It's a common variety. Watch this." Anya said. She rearranged Dawn so that she was sitting on the couch, now upright. "Huh. Neat as you please. Hardly a need to undo her."  
  
Buffy popped a few nuts into her mouth from a can. "Where'd you get the nuts?" she asked.  
  
"Brazil. No need to thank me, by the way, for sitting with her. I'm feeling very benevolent today. Helping Willow. Helping you. You might even call it even for that whole worm thing last week."  
  
"Yeah, I don't think we could call.. Wait, you saw Willow?"  
  
"Um-hmm. Oh, she's looking for you, by the way. Decided you might be out in some cave. Sounded pretty tenuous."  
  
"Cave?" Angel asked.  
  
"Anya, listen. This is really important. Did Willow go to that cave?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Mm-hmm. Last time I saw her, that's where she was headed." Anya said, turning to Dawn. "Shall I make her salute? That'd be very cute."  
  
"Angel, she could be there right now. Willow could be trapped with the Gnarl." Buffy said.  
  
"Uh, it's not 'The Gnarl', just 'Gnarl.' Oh, wouldn't it be tragic if you were here being kinda silly with your comically paralyzed sister while Willow was dying?" Anya asked.  
  
"Anya, you know about this creature?" Angel asked.  
  
"Uh-huh, sure."  
  
"You're coming with us. Conner, stay here and watch your aunt." Angel handed the battle-axe to Anya, who looked it over. Anya finished posing Dawn in a two-finger salute, patted Dawn on the head, and walked off. Dawn grunted with displeasure. Buffy and Angel walked out as well, but Buffy ran back in to place the remote in Dawn's posed hand before leaving again. Dawn squeaked and Conner took the remote from Dawn. He turned on the TV and asked Dawn what she wanted to watch.  
  
Buffy, Angel, and Anya sped down the roads, heading back to the cave. Angel went slower this time, but Buffy smacked him on the thigh and told him to go faster. He grunted with annoyance and sped up. They reached the woods where the cave was and took off running.  
  
"Anya, you gotta keep up." Angel called.  
  
"Uhhh! I'm out of shape. I've been teleporting for months!" Anya complained.  
  
"Hurry!" Buffy yelled.  
  
They reached the cave and started to remove the rocks. As soon as the rocks were clear, Angel dove in and helped Buffy and Anya through the hole. Buffy looked around, but Willow was nowhere to be found.  
  
"What's going on? Where's Willow?" Buffy asked.  
  
"She's right here. Can't you see her? She's hurt!" Anya said. She was bending over a spot and acting like she was touching something.  
  
"What? Where?" Angel asked, feeling around with his hand. "There's nothing here."  
  
"Your hand, it's going right through her. What's going on?"  
  
"I don't know, but I'm starting to get why we haven't seen her." Buffy said.  
  
"Because we haven't seen her." Angel said.  
  
"I have this feeling that whatever's causing this invisible thing is a whole separate issue from the skin-eating monster."  
  
"Behind you!" Anya called.  
  
Buffy turned and Gnarl tried to scratch Buffy, but missed, getting only her shirt and not her skin. "Close one!" Buffy said.  
  
Gnarl had a sword now, and Buffy had a dagger. They fought, alternating swipes at each other. Angel jumped in a tried to slash Gnarl in the back, but Gnarl turned and slashed at him. He got Angel's silk shirt and Buffy yelled, "I just got that shirt for him!"  
  
"Remember what I said. Get him in the eyes." Anya said. "Willow, I'm here. Wow, you're really hurt." Anya paused as if listening to someone then said, "Buffy's fighting the demon over there, see. But if they get too close, I'm gonna have to run." She paused. "But they're here. Buffy and Xander." Anya paused again. "No, they didn't leave you. They can't see you." Pause. "Good. You're doing really good."  
  
Buffy, Angel, and Gnarl were still fighting. Gnarl leaped over Buffy's head and landed behind her. She turned and stabbed his foot with her dagger when he landed, pinning him to the ground. He screeched and flailed, throwing him off guard. Angel grabbed his head with both hands and plunged his thumbs into Gnarl's eyes.  
  
"Ew. Ew. Thumbs? I can't believe you did that!" Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, Buffy killed the demon. It was gross." Anya said, not to Buffy and Angel though.  
  
Buffy ran over to where Anya was and looked down. She was still not able to see Willow. "Willow? Are you here?"  
  
"Where is she? Is she alive?" Angel asked.  
  
"She's right here. Ok, stand back. You're getting your feet in her." Anya said.  
  
"Willow?" Buffy asked.  
  
"She's hurt really bad, you guys. I'm gonna go get help." Anya got up and left the cave.  
  
"I think she's sort of here-ish." Angel said, gesturing with his hand.  
  
"Willow? W-we can't exactly see you, but we're really glad that you're back. I-I don't know how badly you're hurt, but.." Buffy stopped when she noticed a golden shimmer on the ground. "Is that Willow?"  
  
"I couldn't find you guys and I looked everywhere. And the demon said that you left me and.. Oh, there you are. There you are! Don't go away." Willow said.  
  
"We're not going away." Angel said. Then he noticed her wounds. "Oh, God."  
  
"It's gonna be ok, Willow. You're gonna be ok." Buffy said.  
  
"I know. You're here." Willow said.  
  
After waiting almost an hour, an ambulance finally came. They took Willow the emergency room, Buffy, Anya, and Angel following in the van. Anya decided to walk home and she left. Buffy and Angel were there for another hour or so before Willow came out. She had on a baggy shirt that read Sunnydale Medical Center on a breast pocket. She lifted her shirt to show off the bandage around her waist. Buffy hugged Willow and then Angel did. Then the emotions overwhelmed them and the three shared a big group hug.  
  
Willow followed them outside. "Oh! You have a new van!"  
  
"Yeah. Angel bought it. We thought it would be better than the car for traveling." Buffy said. "It has a TV and a Playstation 2 in the backseats."  
  
"Wow. I like it. It's all shiny and silver."  
  
"Yeah. God Wills! I missed you so much!"  
  
"I missed you too."  
  
The two girls climbed into the two backseats and started to talk about Willow's down time in England. Angel drove carefully this time and listened to them talk. Buffy had to explain why her scar was so red and opened back up. The three reached home and found Conner and Dawn asleep on the couch. Buffy led Willow up to Conner's old room while Angel woke up Conner and carried Dawn to her room.  
  
"Sorry about the room." Buffy said. "We didn't expect you back so soon and Conner was complaining about how small it was."  
  
"It's fine Buffy. I don't care." Willow said. "I deserve a little room."  
  
"Willow.."  
  
"It's ok Buffy. Really. I don't mind. I'm so tired I don't care where I sleep. Though the couch was really comfortable last night."  
  
"You were here?"  
  
"Yeah, but you couldn't see me and I couldn't see you. We'll talk in the morning. Good night Buffy." Willow walked into the room and shut the door.  
  
"Night." Buffy called through the door.  
  
Angel walked down the hall and Buffy followed him to their room. They slept through the night and woke up early in the morning. Buffy didn't have to go to school that day, but Conner and Dawn did. After Angel left, Buffy went to Willow's room and found her meditating on the twin bed.  
  
Buffy started to walk off, not wanting to interrupt Willow, but the red head stopped her. "Buffy.."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt." Buffy said.  
  
"That's all I had left in me anyway."  
  
"I didn't realize meditating was such hard work."  
  
"I'm healing. Growing new skin."  
  
"Wow. That's magic, right? I mean, when most people when they meditate don't get extra skin, right. 'Cause Clem should, like, cut back." Buffy joked, sitting on the edge of the bed.  
  
"It's magic. I'm drawing power from the earth to heal myself."  
  
"We're on the second floor."  
  
"You know Giles says everything's part of the earth. This bed. The air. Us."  
  
"Explains why my fingernails get dirty even when I don't do anything." Buffy smiled as Willow leaned back against the headboard, exhausted. "You're wiped out. I-I should go."  
  
"No. Please stay. I missed you so much when I couldn't find you."  
  
"We missed you too. I missed you. Dawn's, uh, working on what caused the mutual no-see-ums, but so far we haven't.."  
  
"I did it."  
  
"You did a spell?"  
  
"I didn't mean to. I-I just remember thinking I wasn't ready to see you guys yet. I was afraid we wouldn't, you know, connect."  
  
"So, you made it happen just by thinking it?"  
  
"Guess I have a ways to go before I master my powers, huh?"  
  
"It's ok. As long as you're all right."  
  
"It's nice to be forgiven. Too bad I need so much of it."  
  
"I have a confession to make. I thought it might be you. With the flaying."  
  
"I know."  
  
"I wanna be the kind of person that wouldn't think that. Xander never thought it."  
  
"He did, a little. Heck, I did a little. Xander has the luxury of not saying it, but you're the slayer. You have to say stuff like that. It's ok. It's ok too if you still don't think I can recover from this magic stuff, 'cause, honestly, I'm not that sure about it either." Willow sighed and sat back up, starting to meditate again.  
  
"I thought you were too tired."  
  
"It hurts too much not to try."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It just takes so much strength. I don't have that much."  
  
"I got so much strength, I'm giving it away." Buffy said, sitting cross- legged in front of Willow.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Will it help?"  
  
"Much."  
  
Buffy took Willow's hands and said "Good," as they started to meditate together. 


	10. Ground State part 1

Chapter 10  
  
"Smell anything?" Fred asked. She, Angel, Buffy, and Gunn were sifting through Cordy's stuff at her apartment. After Fred called Angel and Willow on Friday in Sunnydale to tell him that Gru had called and said that he wanted them to tell Cordy he's sorry and he will always love her, which meant that Cordy was gone, Angel and Willow had gone to the school and told Buffy about it. Buffy had pulled Conner and Dawn out of their classes, told Principal Wood that it was a family emergency because her sister and law had been missing all summer, and they had piled into the van. Then they had rushed up to LA. Conner, Dawn, and Willow had come with them, but they had stayed at the Hyperion.  
  
"Cordelia. Maybe some old incense or candles and strangely enough lemons. Lots and lots of lemons." Angel said.  
  
"I might have gone a little nuts with the floor polish. I wanted the place to look nice when the landlord starts showing it."  
  
"It does look nice." Buffy said.  
  
"Nice and empty." Angel said. Buffy walked over and took his hand.  
  
"You should have seen the size of the dust bunnies under Cordy's bed! More like dust sperm whales." Fred said.  
  
"I can't believe it's been three months and we never knew."  
  
"We paid the rent for the first couple, but then things got sort of tight and, well, big apartment, no one living here.."  
  
"Phantom Dennis! Does he know anything about Cordy? Where she might be?" Buffy asked.  
  
"He's just ticked we haven't brought her home already."  
  
"We will, though. Soon." Angel said.  
  
"Absolutely." Buffy said.  
  
"You said you already tried talking to Lorne in Las Vegas?" Angel asked, following Fred into the living room.  
  
"Yeah. Emphasis on the word 'tried.'" Gunn said. He was working on the TV and sparks flew. He pulled his hand away. "Fancy-ass surround sound. Fred!"  
  
"I already packed the Band-Aids, buddy. From the exactly twice we've able to get a hold of him we know that Lorne is keeping his eyes peeled, but so far all is quiet on the psychic front." Fred said.  
  
"Did you show them the box?"  
  
"See that one? With the pictures? That stuff was on the table the night Cordy disappeared. It's mostly personal stuff. Didn't mean much to us, but you might see something."  
  
Buffy was standing near the box and started to sift through it, Angel coming up next to her. "How about the police?" she asked.  
  
"Uh, lets see, abandoned car, empty apartment.." Gunn said.  
  
"No signs of violence, no plans for travel.." Fred said.  
  
"Please file a missing persons report.."  
  
"And have a nice day."  
  
"But hey, that was only first time. The next seven times they left out the 'nice day' part."  
  
Buffy and Angel looked at two pictures from the box. One was of him, Buffy when she was pregnant, and Cordy. The other showed him, Cordy and Wes.  
  
"Something must have happened to her that night. Something big." Angel said.  
  
"Well, Cordy was supposed to go find Gru if what that note says is true." Gunn said.  
  
"I know why we weren't there."  
  
"Sure. We were off starting a new life and getting attacked by crazy, evil Willow." Buffy said.  
  
"Not that you're bitter."  
  
"I appreciate you guys looking out for LA all summer." Angel said.  
  
"Damn it, Dennis! She is not coming back!" Fred yelled. Everyone stared at her and Buffy lowered her head. "I-I'm sorry Buffy, I didn't.. I meant to the apartment. I know how close you guys had gotten as friends."  
  
"I-It's okay Fred. Anyway, we got tons of room back at the hotel. We can keep everything safe." Buffy said.  
  
"It's just.. you count on stuff, you know? Things being where you left them. What happens if you get back and they're not there?"  
  
"You go find them." Angel said.  
  
Buffy looked up from a picture of her holding little Conner, Wesley, and Cordy, understanding Angel's meaning. "You wanna go talk to him?"  
  
"He did help rescue me."  
  
"It wasn't much. You were only gone a couple of days."  
  
"Yeah, with all my blood mopped up and a severe wound in my side that's still healing."  
  
"You think we should?"  
  
"Yeah. I do. Maybe it's time to tell him we're moving on."  
  
"Yeah." Buffy looked back down at the picture. "Maybe."  
  
  
  
Buffy and Angel dropped Gunn and Fred off at the Hyperion and then drove off to find Wesley. After talking to a couple of Angel's sources and then some of Buffy's old sources that had known Merrick and her, they found Wes and two other men fighting some type of monster in a dark sewer tunnel  
  
"Jones, ground sweep, left flank!" Wesley called to one of his men.  
  
The monster knocked one of the men down and the double bladed ax he had been holding slid across the floor. Buffy stopped it with her foot and picked it up.  
  
"Need help?" she asked.  
  
Wesley sliced through the monster's torso from its shoulder with a sweep of his ax. "No. Thanks." He bent and picked up a key from the now dead demon's top half. "So, Mister O'Leary is being kept in a motel. How original." He tossed the key to Jones. "Free him. Report to base, have Diana close out the file. Hawkins, back of my car." The men left.  
  
"Running your own game now, huh?" Angel asked. Wesley was silent.  
  
"I never got the chance to thank you. Finding Angel, helping me save him." Buffy said. Wes turned away. "Must have been hard for you." Wes moved the monster's head and shoulders to the side. "All that following Justine around and being sneaky."  
  
Wesley started to leave and Angel went after him. "Look, what.. what went down between us.. You, Buffy, and me.. I had a lot of time to think this summer. You know about the way things went, the way they could have gone. I just want you to know as far as I'm concerned.. We're okay again."  
  
Wes gave Buffy and Angel a look, then opened a case, took out a scrapbook and handed it to Buffy.  
  
"What's this?" Buffy asked.  
  
"What you came for." Wes said. Buffy opened the file and found a picture of Cordy's car and a map. "That's all I have on Cordelia's disappearance."  
  
"You did your own investigation."  
  
"I don't think she's dead. I can't say for certain of course, but I don't think she's in our dimension any longer. Beyond that is a road I couldn't follow. No living thing can."  
  
"Who's Dinza?" Angel asked, looking a paper from the file.  
  
"One of the Eleusian mysteries, the dark demi-goddess of the lost. Only the dead can enter her presence, and those that do she often traps for eternity."  
  
"Sounds cheery."  
  
"I managed to locate her lair, but obviously couldn't enter myself."  
  
"This Dinza can tell us where Cordy is?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. The most she'll tell you is where to look." Wesley wound a rope up and put it in his case. "Just beware. Dinza isn't remotely trustworthy."  
  
"What should I do then? Send her a gift? Sacrifice?" Angel looked up from the paper and saw Wesley disappearing through a door a ways away from them.  
  
"Maybe an unholy fruit basket?" Buffy said sarcastically.  
  
Angel rolled his eyes at Wesley and followed Buffy out. They walked to the van and climbed in. Angel started to drive and Buffy sat staring out her window.  
  
"What's the matter?" Angel asked as they got out at the place where Wesley said they could find Dinza.  
  
"Are you really going to do this?" Buffy asked, turning her head to reveal tears falling down her cheeks.  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"This Dinza could take you away from me! From Conner. You heard what Wesley said. I can't go in there with you because I'm not dead, not anymore, and she could trap you for all eternity. I can't lose you again Angel." Angel pulled her to him and held onto her tightly. "I can't. I've lost you too many times. I almost lost you again not even a week ago. I can't go on without you."  
  
"Buffy, you can." Angel pulled away a little and brought Buffy's face up to look at him. "You did it before and you can do it again. Besides, if she did take me, you'd come in after me. I know you Buffy. I know you better than you know you."  
  
"You don't know that she won't take you. And I couldn't go on without you. Not this time! I need you to help me watch after Conner and Dawn and take care of Willow. I need you with me."  
  
"Hey. Shh. What's the matter with you? You're never this emotional when one of us goes on a possible-death mission."  
  
"I don't know. Maybe it's post-post-modal depression. I never got it after Conner was born. And that was only a few months ago. But I'm right. I can't go on without you. If I didn't have Conner, I might be able to. I need you Angel. I need you like I need air."  
  
"I know." Angel pulled her back to him. "I know. But I promise, this demon's not gonna take me. I won't let her. I won't leave you again. If I have to, I'll pull a Xander and run."  
  
Buffy chuckled and smacked him on the hip. "Don't make fun of Xander." She pulled away from him and leaned against the side of the van. "Now go and see if you can find where Cordy is. I want you back in less than 15 minutes though. Otherwise I'm going to do some assuming and go in after you."  
  
Angel smiled and turned to the manhole that would lead to Dinza's lair. Ten minutes later, Angel returned. Buffy smiled and threw her arms around his neck tightly.  
  
"I told you I wouldn't leave you again." Angel said.  
  
"I knew you wouldn't." Buffy smiled and got in the van. "So, what did you find out?"  
  
Angel shut the door and started the engine. "The axis of Pythia. It's what we need to find to find Cordy."  
  
"Oh." Buffy pulled her bag up front and pulled out her cell phone.  
  
"Who are you calling?"  
  
Buffy ignored Angel and speed dialed the Hyperion. Fred picked up on the second ring. "Fred, it's Buffy. Angel and I need you guys to start researching. The axis of Pythia. Find out what it is, what it looks like, where we can get it, and how much it's gonna cost. Ok. We'll be there in a little while. No, we're on our way to see a snitch of Angel's. Well, if it's mystical and hard to find, talk to Willow. She'll be able to find it through her magicks. Ok. We're on our way there now. Ok. Bye." Buffy closed her phone and tossed it in her bag. "There. They should have a pretty good idea of what this thing is and if Dinza was lying by the time we get there."  
  
"Smartie." Angel said.  
  
"I know. But you love me."  
  
Angel chuckled and drove through a yellow light. Two hours later, the two arrived at the Hyperion. Fred had a large white board set up with drawings on it, Willow was at the computer, and Gunn was sitting on the counter watching Fred. Conner was sitting on the opposite steps playing his Gameboy and Dawn was doing homework on the settee. Angel went to the desk behind the counter and sat down, starting to draw. Buffy went over and sat next to Conner, watching him play his video game.  
  
"Hi guys." Willow said.  
  
"Hey." Buffy said. "What all did you find?"  
  
"Plenty. Apparently that Dinza lady wasn't lying. The axis does exist."  
  
"We set up a chart." Fred said. "Well, it's sort of a business presentation, but it's not like we're evil lawyers."  
  
Buffy laughed quietly to herself at Fred's joke. Conner turned his Gamboy off and turned to Buffy. "Are you ok mom?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" Buffy asked.  
  
"You have tear tracks down your cheeks."  
  
"It messed up my makeup, didn't it?"  
  
"No. I can just see them. What's the matter?"  
  
"Nothing now. It was something stupid earlier that made me cry. I'm fine now."  
  
"Can we begin?" Fred asked.  
  
Buffy nodded and moved over to sit on the counter next to Gunn. Conner sat on the floor in front of the counter and Dawn stayed where she was. Angel moved the chair over a little so he could see.  
  
"The axis of Pythia. Forged from the tripod of the Delphic oracle, the axis, a metal arc set into a marble base, stands approximately two feet high and weighs eighteen pounds." Fred showed off her little drawing of what the axis looked like.  
  
Angel handed a paper he had been scribbling on to Gunn. "Here, that'll give you an idea."  
  
"Wow!" Gunn said. On the paper was a detailed sketch of the axis.  
  
"Is that.. You didn't draw that." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah, he just, you know, scribbled it down out of one of the books." Buffy said.  
  
"Ah, nice." Fred turned back to her board and flipped the page. "The axis is said to have been imbued with many mystical qualities, one of which is finding souls or entities across dimensions."  
  
"Entities like Cordelia." Buffy said, motioning to the drawing Angel did of him, Cordy, and Buffy.  
  
"Wow. That's just.."  
  
"Oh. Hey, baby, I like your little.. your ghost guy." Gunn said.  
  
"I haven't slept, Charles."  
  
"So, we need the axis. How do we get it?"  
  
"Currently the axis is being held in a vault in Chandler's auction house." Willow said. Fred flipped the chart to reveal a blocky, yellow square with two rows of white squares ranged within it for windows and a door in the bottom with Chandler written over it. "An establishment firmly rooted in the black market. Black market means money. Money means security."  
  
"But not to worry, because Buffy and I beat the building plans out of a snitch, who thought I was dead." Angel said.  
  
"The building plans are only half of it. Just because we know where it is doesn't mean we can get to it."  
  
Fred flipped the chart again and Gunn started to read off the list she made on it. "Surveillance cameras, electric gates.."  
  
"Laser sensors, handprint recognition.." Buffy read.  
  
"Not to mention armed guards." Willow said.  
  
"Yeah, but if it's an auction house can't we just, you know, e-bay it?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Thirty three million dollars." Willow and Fred said.  
  
Gunn started to choke on his coffee. "I think my lungs.." Cough, "have coffee.."  
  
"I'm still working on a plan, but so far it involves being sent to prison and becoming somebody's bitch." Fred said.  
  
"No one's going to jail, Fred. A heist like this, I've done it a million times." Angel said. Buffy stared at him. "Okay. Maybe twice, but I'm good at it. I swear!"  
  
"Uh, you're not counting the time we stole the crazy making death shroud that nearly killed us, right?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Or the time we tried to steal the Box of Gavrok and ended up losing me to the mayor?" Willow asked.  
  
"The point is, this is how we find Cordy, so this is what we're gonna do." Angel said.  
  
"Okay." Fred laid the plans out. "I'm just going to take these and go over the details and see if I can, I don't know, whip something up, say, a plan. Okay." Fred left.  
  
"I'm really strong, if that helps."  
  
"And me!" Buffy called.  
  
"Ok!" Fred called back.  
  
"That's my girl, large and in charge. Okay, teensy-weensy and in charge." Gunn said.  
  
"Amazing the way she stepped up while I was in Sunnydale. Kinda reminds me of Cordy." Angel said.  
  
"Angel, say we use this axis thing to find her. What then?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Then we do whatever it takes to get her back home. Where she belongs."  
  
"Okay. So what are we going to need for operation chance-in-hell?"  
  
"Hmm. I can only guess. Probably some repelling hooks. Flashlights, obviously. Aerosols. What else?"  
  
"Oh! Can I use the wire thing again? Cause that was fun the first time."  
  
"Ok, you are too freaky." Gunn said.  
  
"She did. It was pretty cool." Dawn said, not looking up from her homework.  
  
"Cool."  
  
"Yup." Buffy said. "Now, let's get to work getting what we need rounded up." 


	11. Ground State part 2

Chapter 11  
  
"Come on." Angel said. He, Buffy, Gunn, and Fred were scaling the wall of the Chandler auction house. Buffy and Angel were almost at the top with Fred and Gunn a little ways down.  
  
"Damn. This is so much harder than it looks on Batman." Gunn said.  
  
They made it over the fence and to the electrical box. Angel ripped the cover off. He sorted through the tangle of wires inside for a moment. Finally, Buffy walked up and grabbed a small handful and pulled them out. The lights went out. Fred used some electronic gizmo to make the light on the door turn green and let them in. They descended some concrete steps.  
  
Following the floor plans, Fred brought them to a hallway. "Thirty yards west. This is the junction." She laid the floor plans out on the floor. "All right. I'll be in here trying to hack the security system for the vault. Charles.."  
  
"Secure the escape route. Guard station, one floor down." Gunn said.  
  
"Disarm and contain. Angel, you and Buffy get to the vault, wait for system shut down, then steal the axis."  
  
"You are so hot right now."  
  
"Go." The guys jumped up and started to head away in separate directions. "Guys." Angel and Gunn came back and each left in the opposite direction they were originally going.  
  
Buffy followed Angel this time. She led the way to the vault. When they found it, the door was wide open. Buffy brought out a can of aerosol and sprayed the sir in front of the doorway. A network of green light beams became visible.  
  
"Help me out here Fred." Buffy said. Angel stepped in up next to her and the barred security gate came down in front of their faces. "Not exactly what I had in mind." Buffy looked around. "I'll be right back."  
  
Angel watched Buffy walk off. He took a hold of the bottom cross bar and started to lift the gate. He fell back as he was showered with electrical sparks and a ceiling panel inside the vault opened. A woman's head and upper torso dropped down through it.  
  
"You know, I put that down for a reason." She said.  
  
"Who are you?" Angel asked.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I asked you first."  
  
"What are you, seven?"  
  
"Tell me you're not here for the axis."  
  
"I'm not here for the axis."  
  
"You're lying."  
  
"I'm fibbing. That's lying. Only classier." The woman reached down a hand and all the light beams arced up and out of her way, then she dropped down into the cleared space.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Technically? I'm exciting the subatomic particles with electrical energy and then bouncing them off each other before they hit ground state. I just love that folks go for this high tech stuff. Electricity comforts them. Suckers."  
  
"What are you?"  
  
The woman held her hand over the palm recognition scanner. "I'm a freak." There was an electrical discharge and the lock opened. "What did you think?" She walked into the vault.  
  
"Yeah, well, uh, I'm sure there is a lot of other nice, expensive things that you could steal in there. It just.. it doesn't have to be the one." Angel said.  
  
Gunn came in and said, "Where's the bogey?"  
  
"Inside. She's after the axis."  
  
"She? As in she took out the four armed guards downstairs?"  
  
"That's good to know."  
  
The woman came back out of the vault, carrying the axis, and took a hold of the rope she came down on. "So long, handsome."  
  
"Listen. I need the axis. See, it's an ancient mystical artifact.." Angel started.  
  
"That's fun for a girl and a boy. I like to think of it as mine."  
  
"Please."  
  
"Please? Are you kidding me?" She noticed Gunn. "Hey there, Denzel."  
  
"I'm trying to find someone. Someone very important to me, and the axis there, it's my only shot."  
  
"Come on, he's telling the truth." Gunn said.  
  
"Oh, golly, if you say it's true. So what? You just wanna borrow this thing?"  
  
"You can do whatever you want with it as soon as I find her."  
  
"Her. Of course it's a her." She let go of the rope and walked over to the gate. "Two questions then. One: do you really love her?"  
  
"Yeah. I do. But not in that way. I'm married. Got a kid. The girl I'm looking for is more of a sister."  
  
"Really? Two: on a scale of one to ten, exactly how stupid do you think I am?" Suddenly an alarm went off, the lights began to flash, and the gate slowly rose. "Don't answer that."  
  
"Way to go Fred." Angel said.  
  
Gwen went back to climb her rope. Angel tried to force the gate up faster. Gunn rolled through under the gate as soon as there was enough space and lunged for the woman, wrapping his arms around her legs.  
  
"Let go!" She yelled.  
  
"A little help here!" Gunn called.  
  
The woman reached out and sent an electrical charge into Gunn, who let out a scream. Angel tackled the woman, breaking her hold on Gunn, who dropped to the floor. Fred and Buffy came running through the door. Angel had his fingers on Gunn's neck, feeling for a pulse.  
  
"He's dead." Angel said.  
  
"No! No! No!" Fred said, running over to Gunn. Buffy stood there stunned as the woman looked at Gunn lying on the floor.  
  
She went over to Gunn. "Move!" She blew Angel out of the way with an electrical charge, and moved Fred away from Gunn with a well-placed kick. "Sorry honey." She reached down and laid one hand on Gunn's chest. There were a couple discharges, but nothing changed. She shook her hand out and put it back on Gunn's chest. "Just like starting a Chevy." There was another discharge and Gunn arced up gasping for breath. "There we go."  
  
Angel tossed the woman to the side and Fred ran back to Gunn with Buffy. Gwen kicked Angel in the head.  
  
"Angel, we've got to get to a hospital!" Buffy said.  
  
For a moment Angel hesitated, looking from Gunn to the woman, then he ran to pick Gunn up while the woman climbed up her rope into the ceiling.  
  
  
  
Buffy and Conner came into the Hyperion after seeing her dad. Gunn and Fred were sitting around the lobby, Dawn was asleep, and Willow was on the computer. Angel was nowhere to be found.  
  
"Where's my husband?" Buffy asked.  
  
"He left a few minutes ago. You just missed him." Willow said.  
  
"Where'd he go?"  
  
"Said something about finding out who that girl was earlier."  
  
"Oh." Buffy went to sit down, but Willow held out a piece of paper.  
  
"He gave me this before he left. It's the address where you can find him."  
  
Buffy grabbed the paper and rushed out the door saying, "Thanks Will!"  
  
Buffy ran outside and grabbed the first cab she found. As soon as the cab pulled to a stop and Buffy paid the driver, she checked the slip of paper Willow had given her. It said that the woman would be somewhere around here. Buffy sighed and walked through the door. She heard voices coming from the main lobby and one of them was Angel's. Buffy rounded the corner and saw the elevator door was open. As soon as she could see the inside of it, she saw Angel sitting on the floor with that woman straddling him and burying her tongue in Angel's throat. Tears sprung to Buffy's eyes as she watched metal bars slide across the door and Angel and the woman broke apart.  
  
"You're alive." The girl said.  
  
"You felt that? My heart.." Angel said.  
  
"It was beating. It doesn't, does it?"  
  
Buffy let out a sob and Angel and the woman looked over. Angel's eyes widened and he shoved the woman away. "Buffy!"  
  
"You bastard!" Buffy said.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" the woman asked.  
  
"Well, that should be obvious to a professional like yourself." A man said, walking up to the bars. A couple of men grabbed Buffy's arms and she didn't make a move to stop them. All she could do was stare at Angel.  
  
"It's a double cross." Angel said.  
  
"I'm not slow. I know it's.. shut up." The woman said, then to the man who had just arrived. "Is he one of yours?"  
  
"No. I thought he was yours what with the tonguing." The man said.  
  
"In his dreams."  
  
"Not even close. That's my wife." Angel said, pointing at Buffy.  
  
"She's pretty. Might keep her when I'm done with Gwen." The man said.  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
"Job's done, Elliot. You don't have to do this." Gwen said.  
  
"I have no choice. The job you did for me was a train wreck. The noise, the publicity, that little stunt you pulled in the bar." Elliot said.  
  
"That was just a joke."  
  
"Professionals are discreet, young lady. You, on the other hand, are a freak. A dangerous freak. Which is why I had them remodel the elevator you're standing in. More of a retrofit really. Low-teched the whole thing with six inches of plexi-glass separating you from any available current." Gwen slammed her hands down on the bars. "Tempered Lucite."  
  
"He's gonna seal us in. Turn on the gas." Angel said.  
  
"What are you, Lex Luthor?" Gwen asked.  
  
"No, he's a lying prick." Buffy said angrily.  
  
"Oh. I like her. She's fiery." Elliot said.  
  
"Keep you hands off of her." Angel said. "Buffy, love, it's not what you think. She kissed me. It meant nothing."  
  
"Look, work out your personal problems later." Gwen said. "We're a little trapped and I can't get us out."  
  
"What do you think? I was gonna stand here and duke it out with electro girl? Ah, don't worry. I'm told that the gas is very fast acting. You'll be dead with in.. Whoops! Where does the time go?" Elliot said.  
  
Gas started to hiss out of nozzles in the roof of the elevator as the doors slid shut before Angel could stop them from closing. Buffy watched them close. The men let her go, not seeing her as a threat. She stood there watching the door and listening to the pounding coming from the inside. Hot tears fell down her cheeks at the memory of Angel's lips on Gwen's.  
  
"We should be finished here any time now. Oh? I see. Uh-huh. Well, we had the tuna casserole last Thursday morning." Elliot said into his cell phone. Just then, the doors opened and the bars went away. Angel came out carrying Gwen in his arms. "Get rid of him."  
  
Angel laid Gwen down in the corner by the elevators and turned to engage Elliot's goons. Angel took care of the three goons. He tossed the last one aside and turned to find Gwen advancing on Elliot, who backed away, holding the bag containing the axis up between them like a shield.  
  
"I expect to get screwed. Professional thief. Hazard of the biz." Gwen said.  
  
"Just wait a second, please." Elliot said.  
  
"What I don't appreciate, Elliot is being called a freak. That's my word. And I get cranky when people like you use it."  
  
"Gwen. Think about this." Angel said.  
  
"You've ever been struck by lightning, Elliot? I've been struck by lightning fourteen times. It's not my fault. I just attract it. You know what also attracts lightning? Maggoty little norms like you!"  
  
"So you're a freak. Boo-hoo. So what?" Buffy said cruelly.  
  
"Excuse me?" Gwen asked, wheeling on Buffy. "I think you've already figured out Angel's not the poster boy for normal and I'm no Betty-regular either. Sometimes you got to let go."  
  
Angel hauled back and slammed his fist in Elliot's face.  
  
"Hey! I wanted to do that!" Gwen said.  
  
"You were gonna fry him." Angel said.  
  
"Was not!"  
  
"Don't fib."  
  
"Fine. Did you at least break his nose?" Gwen reached out to turn Elliot over but Angel took a hold of her arm and held her fast. "You're really gonna use that axis thing to find her, aren't you?" Angel just looked at her. "Figures. Anyone that bad at stealing stuff has got to be doing it for some sort of love. Bummer. But you better go after your girl there."  
  
Angel turned to find Buffy gone. He ran out to the street and saw her blonde hair rounding a corner. Angel took off after her. When Buffy heard him coming, she started to run. There was no way she wanted to talk to him right now. Too bad for her though. Angel grabbed her arm and stopped her.  
  
"Let go of me you lying son of a bitch!" Buffy yelled. She shoved him hard into a wall and ran off into an abandoned building.  
  
Angel followed her in. "Buffy, please listen to me."  
  
"Who are you?" Buffy asked not looking at him.  
  
"She kissed me. I swear it Buffy."  
  
"You weren't stopping her."  
  
"I was. She had just started to kiss me when you walked in. I shoved her off."  
  
"Boy, but you were certainly enjoying it."  
  
"No, I wasn't. I could never."  
  
"Stop lying!"  
  
"I'm not!" Angel grabbed Buffy and violently spun her around. "I love you and only you."  
  
"Get off of me!" Buffy tried to shove him off, but Angel tightened his grip. "Ow! Stop!"  
  
"Buffy, just listen."  
  
"Obviously those old habits never go away."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Oh, you know, you got a wife, but you got a mistress on the side."  
  
"Buffy, I do not have a mistress. I don't even know her!"  
  
"So, I guess that I got old and too wife-ish and you needed someone edgier. Someone who could make.." Buffy sobbed. "Make your heart beat."  
  
"You heard that?"  
  
"Yeah, I heard that." Buffy yanked away and walked over to a shadow.  
  
Angel walked over to her and took her hand. He placed it on his chest so she could feel that his heart was no longer beating. "It's not beating."  
  
"She still made it beat. I can't do that."  
  
"No, you can't. Your not a demon for one thing."  
  
"You hurt me."  
  
"I did. And I'm sorry."  
  
"You're always sorry."  
  
"I'm extra super sorry right now. I love you Buffy and I'm sorry I hurt you. I didn't mean to."  
  
"Stop apologizing and take me home. Make it up to me. A lot."  
  
"I planned on it. Right after I find Cordy."  
  
  
  
Buffy, Gunn, Willow, Fred, Conner, Dawn, and Angel all sat around the lobby of the Hyperion. Angel and Buffy had finished the ritual with the axis and found Cordelia. Soon Willow, Angel, Buffy, Dawn, and Conner were going to have to leave. School started on Monday and it was Saturday night already.  
  
"But she was beautiful?" Fred asked.  
  
"God. There was all this light around her. And the light seemed to made up of pure joy and warmth." Angel said.  
  
"You think higher beings get to take vacations?" Willow asked.  
  
"The way we saw it..  
  
"It felt sort of permanent." Buffy finished.  
  
"Too bad. We could've all gone to Vegas." Gunn said.  
  
"I guess we should have know that when she started that glowy thing that the Powers were up to something." Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah, but who would have thought it would have been this?"  
  
"Tell you the truth: it doesn't surprise me. In some small way, maybe it even makes it easier. Knowing the good she's doing up there. Even if we can't see her or talk to her, it's like she's still on our side." Buffy said.  
  
"Doesn't mean you miss her any less." Fred said.  
  
"No. All those months I thought 'Cordy's fine. She's with Gru and she's happy.' I get back to LA and I find out that she's gone. I keep thinking 'I got to get Cordy back home.' Finally I find her and I realize she already is home where she belongs." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Was that where you were mom?" Conner asked.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked. Everyone turned to Conner.  
  
"I mean, you said when you died, you were in heaven. Right? Well, when you described what it was like for you and then what it was like for Cordelia, I figured: that must be what you were doing."  
  
"I don't know. Honestly, I can't remember what it was like up there. All the things I did. All I remember was that I was happy and I knew that my friends were all right. Kinda like I am now."  
  
"Oh. Do you ever want to go back?"  
  
"Someday. But that day isn't today. That day won't be for a while. At least I hope."  
  
"Me too." Angel said.  
  
Buffy looked back at him, still hurt that she had seen another woman's tongue down his throat. After a few seconds, she stood and sighed. "I guess since we know that Cordy's all right and all, we should get going back to Sunnydale." Buffy pointed at Conner and Dawn. "You two have that science project to get on."  
  
"How'd you know about that?" Dawn asked.  
  
"I work at the school. I'm friends with the principal. I meet your teachers in the faculty lounge. I know things."  
  
"Stupid mouths."  
  
"Yeah, I know. This is so much fun working at your school."  
  
"You're going to regret saying that one day considering the school's past history." Angel said, standing up.  
  
"I know, but for now it's fun. Especially cause I got a better job than Giles did. I guess Slayers really are way cooler than their Watchers." 


	12. Help part 1

Chapter 12  
  
Angel stared into Buffy's eyes as he laid on top of her. She smiled back up at him. He planted a small kiss on her lips and she responded by kissing him a little more deeply. His hand stroked her hip while hers caressed the back of his neck. Suddenly a door closed. Buffy grabbed her flashlight and pushed open the lid of the coffin. Angel jumped out first and then helped Buffy out. Another coffin lid opened and Conner and Xander climbed out.  
  
"Hey." Xander said.  
  
"Next time, I get my own coffin." Conner complained.  
  
"Sorry." Buffy said.  
  
"33 minutes, mom. Since when do we go through all this trouble for one lousy vampire? Excuse me, one lousy potential vampire."  
  
"Vampire by vampire. It's the only way I know how."  
  
There was a knocking sound from one of the smaller coffins. Buffy and Angel went to open it, and Dawn, who was fairly cramped, got out, gasping for air.  
  
"I think this thing has a freakin' child lock on it." Dawn said.  
  
"Shh!" Angel said.  
  
"You know, I'm not the shortest one here. I don't know why I had to be in the kid coffin."  
  
"Look, I know it's my job.." Buffy started.  
  
"No, no. I'm sorry. I wanna help. I guess I've been a bit stressed out lately. I'm sorry I took it out on you." Xander said.  
  
"No big. Been kinda stressed myself."  
  
"Well, the whole Willow sitch is not unstressifying. I mean she's here, but not 'part of the gang' here and hopefully not 'under my feet here in another time dimension' here." Dawn said.  
  
"Not to mention that whole Cordy business." Xander said.  
  
"There's Willow. There's Cordelia. There's the looming humongo bad. And it's a school night. I should be home in bed, cuddled up to my insomnia and my husband, and worrying about how I'm gonna mess up tomorrow." Buffy said.  
  
"You'll be fine. You're a great counselor." Angel said.  
  
"It's my first week actually TALKING to the kids. What if their problems are all weird and tricky?"  
  
"I think you underestimate your familiarity with the world of weird and tricky. This job's perfect for you." Xander said.  
  
"Check out perfect me." Buffy walked toward the casket containing a dead woman. Dawn and Conner followed her. Buffy shined the flashlight in the dead woman's face, inspecting her. "Taking my sister and my son on an educational outing to the.."  
  
"Dead body." Dawn said.  
  
"I don't know. Amateur opinion here, but she looks dead. I mean like natural causes dead." Conner said.  
  
"The paper said she had unusual cuts and contusions on her neck." Buffy said as she shined the flashlight on the dead woman's neck. Right below her pearl necklace there were two puncture wounds that had been stitched up.  
  
"Maybe she cut herself shaving and then died naturally of embarrassment." Xander said.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and tossed her flashlight to Angel who stood watching calmly.  
  
"She looks.." Dawn said.  
  
"Peaceful." Buffy said.  
  
The woman in the casket opened her eyes, and they were yellow, like a vampire's. She looked at Buffy and said, "I am not peaceful."  
  
"That, I can help with." Buffy pulled out her stake and shoved it through the vamp's unbeating heart. The woman burst into dust and Buffy closed the lid to the casket. "I always thought closed caskets were more tasteful anyway."  
  
"Me too." Angel said.  
  
"Ok, it's time to get you two back home and in bed." Buffy said to Conner and Dawn.  
  
Xander walked to the window that they had come in through and opened it. He climbed out and held it open for everyone else. Conner and Angel helped Dawn and Buffy out before climbing through the window themselves. They said their goodbyes to Xander as he got in his car and sped off to his apartment. Buffy, Angel, Conner, and Dawn walked back to the Summers' house.  
  
As soon as Conner and Dawn were in bed, Buffy and Angel went downstairs and curled up on the couch. Buffy laid her head on Angel's chest and he slipped his arms around her shoulders and waist.  
  
"I'm so nervous." Buffy said. "This is going to be so creepy. I mean, I was once a teenager, I live with two of them, and I know what goes through their minds."  
  
"Seeing as how you could read them once." Angel said. "Buffy, you'll do fine. Principal Wood chose you for this job because he knows that you can do it. You can connect with those kids."  
  
"God I hope so."  
  
"You know what you need?"  
  
"You?"  
  
"Well, that too. But I mean sleep. You just to get some sleep. You haven't slept in a while."  
  
"Cause when I close my eyes, all I can see is your lips on that girl."  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"I know! It was all her. But how would you feel if you walked in all yippy and then you saw me kissing some guy I just met?"  
  
"I would probably rip his head off. Then, do some extremely naughty things to you to remind you who's your husband."  
  
"Which I already did to you." Buffy sighed and sat up, looking at Angel. "It's just, you promised that you would never hurt me and you did. It broke my trust a little." Angel looked down at the floor. "Awe, Angel. Don't do the tortured puppy dog thing!"  
  
"I'm not!"  
  
"You were! Don't lie."  
  
"No, I was just thinking."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"You'll find out later." Angel stood up.  
  
"Where are you going?" Buffy stood in front of him.  
  
"To bed." Angel swept Buffy off her feet and carried her up the stairs.  
  
  
  
The next morning, Buffy was rushing around trying to get ready for work. Angel watched her calmly as she rushed in and out of the kitchen and up and down the stairs. At one point he stopped her and made her eat something. Which was when he actually got to talk to her.  
  
"So, what are your plans today while I'm gone?" Buffy asked him.  
  
"Well, Willow asked me to come with her and Xander." Angel replied.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"She wants to go visit Tara. I think she's ready."  
  
"Good for her. I'm proud of her." Buffy's watch went off. "Crap! I gotta go! Dawn! Conner! Let's go!"  
  
Conner and Dawn came down the stairs. Buffy kissed Angel goodbye and rushed out the door to the van. She climber in the driver's seat as Dawn got in back and Conner got in the passenger's seat. Angel waved as Buffy drove off. The phone rang and Angel ran back in to get it.  
  
"Hello?" He asked.  
  
"Angel?" Willow asked.  
  
"Yeah. Are you calling for Buffy? Cause she just left."  
  
"No, I'm calling for you. I wanted to know what time was good for you."  
  
Angel looked down at his ring, the Gem of Amara, and smiled. "Anytime Willow. Anytime your ready."  
  
"Now would be good."  
  
"Um, ok, maybe not anytime. I'm not dressed. Give me an hour and I'll come get you and Xander."  
  
"Ok. I'll see you in an hour."  
  
Angel hung up the phone and headed upstairs to take a shower and get ready.  
  
  
  
"I bet she's giving them great advice." Xander said.  
  
"Absolutely! Those kids are lucky to have Buffy looking out for them. I just wish she believed it. She's still stressing over the whole 'dropped out of college, not actually qualified' thing. Plus the salivating Hellmouth underneath her feet and the whole.." Willow said.  
  
"From beneath you, it devours." Angel said.  
  
"It's not the friendliest jingle, is it?" Xander asked. "It's no 'I like Ike' or 'Milk: it does a body good.'"  
  
"I know. It's gonna be bad. It's gonna be real bad. And I wonder, will I.. Well, if it comes.. When it comes, will I be able to help?" Willow asked.  
  
"I think so."  
  
"I know so." Angel said.  
  
"I don't know. I don't know what I can do. I mean, frankly, I'm.. I'm scared of what I might do." Willow said.  
  
"Yeah, I get that. Figuring out how to control your magic seems a lot like hammering a nail." Xander said. Willow and Angel looked at him confused. "Well, uh, hear me out. So you're hammering, right? Ok, well at the end of the hammer, you have the power, but no control. It takes, like, two strokes to hit the nail in, or you could hit your thumb."  
  
"Ouch."  
  
"So you choke up. Control, but no power. It could take like ten strokes to knock the nail in. Power, control. It's a tradeoff."  
  
"That's actually not a bad analogy." Angel said.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"I'm less worried about hitting my thumb, and more worried about going all black-eyed baddy and bewitching that hammer into cracking my friends' skulls open like coconuts." Willow said.  
  
"You'll be fine. It's hard, I know. I'm here to help you through this Willow." Angel said.  
  
"I know. And I really am grateful Angel. But, being back here.."  
  
"It'll take time. Are you sure you're ready for this?"  
  
Willow nodded and walked forward without Xander or Angel. They watched as Willow walked by herself past many graves before coming up to a tombstone. She put a handful of rocks on the headstone, and kneeled in front of it. It was Tara's grave. After Willow left, Buffy and the others had held a small funeral for Tara. They had all agreed that it would be best for Willow if she hadn't been there. Buffy had talked to Giles afterwards and told them what they had done. Giles had told her that Willow said thanks and that she didn't think she could have handled it either.  
  
Xander tapped Angel's shoulder and Angel turned. Xander pointed to a bench and walked over to it. With a glance back at Willow, Angel followed.  
  
"Do you really think she'll be ok?" Xander asked.  
  
"I know she will. Willow's a strong person." Angel said, not taking his eyes off her. "Besides, I love Buffy and losing Willow would hurt her far beyond anything she's ever imagined."  
  
"Worse than her mom?"  
  
"I don't know about that, but it would be way up there. I don't want Buffy to have to go through that again. She's been hurt enough."  
  
"I think she's over that whole yanked-from-heaven stuff."  
  
"I didn't mean that."  
  
"Then what did you mean?"  
  
"It's nothing that you need to concern yourself with. It's between me and Buffy."  
  
"What'd you do?"  
  
"Why do you assume that's me?"  
  
"Cause Buffy loves you way too much to hurt you. So what'd you do?"  
  
"It wasn't me! It just happened."  
  
"Buffy saw him kiss another girl." Willow said. Both men jumped and stood to face Willow. "She told me after she got back."  
  
"She jumped me!" Angel said.  
  
"I know. Buffy told me that too." Willow smiled, took Angel's arm and started to walk. "She's not mad. She's just a little hurt. You're going to have to work her trust back up."  
  
"She talked to me last night. Told me the same thing pretty much."  
  
"Wait! You kissed another girl?" Xander asked. Angel nodded. "And Buffy saw?" Angel nodded again. "Is the girl still alive?" Angel nodded. "And your still alive?" This time Angel glared at Xander.  
  
"Xander, just shut up." Willow said.  
  
  
  
"I need some help!" Buffy said. She burst through the door and tossed her stuff on the couch. "Angel! Willow! Are you home?"  
  
Angel rushed down the stairs. "Buffy, what is it?"  
  
"Where's Willow?"  
  
"Right here." Willow came in from the kitchen with Xander.  
  
"Where's Conner and Dawn?" Angel asked.  
  
"They're at school. I asked them to stay behind and make friends." Buffy said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"There's this girl named Cassie Newton and she's in trouble. We need to check her out. Now."  
  
"I'll get on the net." Willow said, sitting at the dining room table and opening the laptop on it.  
  
"Buffy, come here." Angel said. Angel led Buffy into the kitchen and poured her a glass of water. "Drink this and tell me what's wrong."  
  
Buffy set the water down. "I don't need it. There's this girl, Cassie Newton, and she came to me in the office and told me that Friday she's going to die. She didn't give me much to go on because she got nervous and left. But before that, she told me to put a sweater over my shirt because it might get stained. And it did! Look!" Buffy pulled off her sweater and showed Angel the coffee stain. "What if she's right and she is going to die? I have to stop it!"  
  
"We will Buffy." Angel said. 


	13. Help part 2

Chapter 13  
  
"Buffy, Will's got something." Xander said coming into the living room where Buffy and Angel sat. It had been a day and a half since Buffy had told them about Cassie. Since then, everyone had been researching.  
  
Buffy stood and followed Angel and Xander into the dining room. Willow had Cassie's records pulled up. Buffy sat down and read what the screen said.  
  
"Cassie's records all show the same thing." Buffy said. "Good grades, good kid, then all of a sudden not so good grades, absenteeism, comments about apathy and depression."  
  
"So, the question is, what changed?" Angel asked.  
  
"Right. If she did have some sort of psychic vision, that would explain it."  
  
"Do you really think this girl is some kind of precog?" Willow asked.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I told you about the shirt, right?"  
  
"Buffy, you spilled a cup of coffee. I'm not saying you don't have slayer grace, but it's not the first time." Angel said.  
  
"I mean maybe, just maybe, you're trying so hard to help that you're seeing paranormal when there's just normal." Willow said.  
  
"Maybe. But maybe not."  
  
"Want me to check her medical records?"  
  
"Her doctor already sent them." Buffy handed the folders to Xander.  
  
"Let me see that. Strep throat. Ear infections. Yeast infections. None of my business.. no real info here." Xander said, putting the folders down.  
  
"Have you Googled her yet?" Willow asked.  
  
"Willow, she's 17!"  
  
"It's a search engine. Look. Ok, let's see what 'Cassie Newton' pulls up." The computer beeped. "Hey, look. Check this. She's got her own site."  
  
"A day and a half of researching, and we finally try looking up her." Xander said.  
  
"Wow, that's a lot of poems." Buffy said, looking at the brightly colored website.  
  
"Poems. Always a sign of pretentious inner turmoil."  
  
"The sheets above me cool my skin like dirt on a mad woman's grave I rise into the moonlight white and watch the mirror stare. Pale fish looks back at me. Pale fish that will never swim. My skin is milk for no man to drink. My thighs unused unclenched. This body is not ready yet. But dirt waits for no woman and coins will buy no time. I hear the chatter of the bugs. It's they alone will feast." Willow read.  
  
"Ok, death is really on her brain." Xander said as Conner and Dawn walked in.  
  
"We all deal with death." Dawn said.  
  
"This girl isn't just dealing, she's giving death a long, sloppy word-kiss. She has a yen for the big dirt-nap."  
  
"I don't know. I mean, a lot of teens post some pretty angsty poetry on the web. I mean, I even posted a melodramatic love poem or two back in the day." Willow said.  
  
"Love poems?"  
  
"I'm over you now, sweetie."  
  
"Love poems!"  
  
"Look, all I'm saying is that this is normal teen stuff. You join chat rooms, you write poetry, you post Doogie Howser fan-fic. It's all normal, right? Let's see what other sites there are."  
  
"You guys are way off track. I got a hunch on this one." Dawn said. No one paid her any attention.  
  
"Oh, wait, no, here's something. No, that's Philip Newton." Willow said.  
  
"No, that's her dad. Open it." Buffy said.  
  
"Guys, I'm telling you. I got this case cracked wide-open. I got the perp fingered. I told you 'bout Mike Helgenberg, right?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Uh, that's the guy that asked her to the dance?"  
  
"Right. The one that keeps asking her to the dance. I'm thinking, who likes to be rejected? Nobody. I'm thinking, some people can't handle the rejection. I'm thinking that.."  
  
Willow cut Dawn off. "Hey, I got something. Whoa, drunk and disorderly, disturbing the peace. There's a lot of charges here."  
  
"Her dad's a drunk?"  
  
"A violent drunk?" Angel asked.  
  
"We'd better find out. I have his address right here." Buffy said. "Angel?"  
  
"Coming."  
  
Angel and Buffy drove the van over to Cassie's father's house. It was a dingy little place that looked ok in the dark. In the light it probably looked run down. It was small and shoved into a corner of an old neighborhood. Buffy and Angel walked up to the door and knocked.  
  
"Buffy, the vampire slayer, would break down this door." Buffy said.  
  
"And Buffy, the counselor?" Angel asked.  
  
"Waits." They looked at the door as Mr. Newton opened the door. "Mr. Newton?"  
  
"That's right." Mr. Newton said.  
  
"I work at your daughter's school. I need to talk to you." For a second, the man just stood there. "May we come in?"  
  
"Sure. Come on in."  
  
Buffy looked at Angel as he walked through the door nervously. He was always nervous when he walked through a door he was just invited through.  
  
"So, is she screwing up her grades again? Because she's not the sharpest apple in the barrel." Mr. Newton said.  
  
"She's got some problems. But it's, um, it's kind of you we wanted to talk about." Buffy said.  
  
"What about?"  
  
"We know you've been picked up by the police a couple of times. We wanted to know if you still drink a lot." Buffy noticed the bottles on the counter.  
  
"What's that got to do with Cassie?"  
  
"Frankly, we were worried that you might drink too much and hurt Cassie. That's all."  
  
"Oh. Oh, I see. That's.. that's all. You just come in here in the middle of the night, into my home, and start accusing me of beating on my daughter? That's all?"  
  
"We just want to make sure that Cassie's.."  
  
"Well, that's a lie! Who told you this? Did Cassie's mother put you up to this, 'cause I pay my support, ok? To the dime! She just wants to take away the one weekend a month I get to be with my girl."  
  
"Which is when?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Which weekend is it?"  
  
"I-I just had her last weekend. Look, I may not be the greatest dad in the world, but I don't beat up my daughter."  
  
"So, you won't be seeing her this Friday, then?"  
  
"Not unless my ex-wife gets a personality transplant."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Ok what? Ok now you'll get out of my house?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Buffy and Angel are walked back out to the car when they saw Cassie had just pulled into the driveway. She used a remote keyless entry system to lock her car, which beeped.  
  
"It's not him. He's not the one who does it. Thank you for trying, but I probably shouldn't have told you anything. You're making such a big deal out of it, and I want it to all to just go away." Cassie said.  
  
"Are you talking about killing yourself?" Angel asked.  
  
"No, of course not!"  
  
"Then fight. Try." Buffy said.  
  
"There's no point. I told you.."  
  
"This doesn't sound like someone who really wants to live."  
  
"You think I want this? You think I don't care? Believe me, I want to.. be here, do things. I want to graduate from high school, and I want to go to the stupid winter formal.. I have this friend, and it would be fun to go with him. Just to dance and hear lame music. To wear a silly dress and laugh and stuff. I'd like to go. There's a lot of stuff I'd like to do. I'd love to ice skate at Rockefeller Center. And I'd love to see my cousins grow up and see how they turn out 'cause they're really mean and I think they're gonna be fat. I'd love to backpack across the country or, I don't know, fall in love, but I won't. I just never will."  
  
"You will. Cassie, you will. You just have to tell us what you know. You have to tell us everything. Please, help us."  
  
"I can't. I just know it's gonna happen. I don't know why and I don't know how, but something out there is gonna kill me."  
  
Buffy and Angel stared helplessly at Cassie as she went up to the door of her dad's house. Angel took Buffy's hand and led her to the van. He drove Buffy up to the bluff where Angel had tried to kill himself near the mansion. They got out and walked up to the cliff.  
  
"Why are we here?" Buffy asked.  
  
"You need to clear your head. This is the best view I could find for you." Angel said.  
  
Buffy wrapped her arms around Angel's neck and started to cry. "I don't know how to help her! She won't tell me anything."  
  
"Shh. Please Buffy, don't cry. We'll figure this out."  
  
"What if we don't? I can't sit back and watch a girl die because I didn't help."  
  
"You are helping. You're doing everything in your power right now. We've got a few more days. I'll call Faith, have her help. I think she'll be glad to get away from that basement."  
  
  
  
Friday afternoon came around too quickly for Buffy. She, Angel, Xander, and Willow were at the house on Buffy's lunch break trying to find anything and everything about Cassie. Conner and Dawn were in school keeping an eye on Cassie. Faith knocked on the door and came in. She motioned to Buffy to follow her into the living room.  
  
"What is it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I've been trying to get Spike to talk all night, but it's not working. He may know something since he's in that basement 24/7, but he's playing comatose. Maybe you could come down and see if you can get anything out of him?"  
  
"All right. I have to get to work anyway." Buffy walked into the dining room and grabbed her jacket and keys to the van.  
  
She and Faith drove to the High School and went down into the basement. They walked around, looking for Spike. When they found him, he was crouched on the floor. He had got the "bad hair of redemption", unkempt and not slicked back. Buffy walked up to him, and waved her hand in front of his eyes. He didn't respond. She snapped in front of his face, and he still didn't respond. She was frustrated, and sighed. Buffy was getting impatient with his moods and games.  
  
"Spike, what are you doing?" Buffy asked, crossing her arms.  
  
"Nothing. If I don't move, if I don't think, if I don't listen to the voices, then I won't hurt.. much." Spike said.  
  
"I need to ask you something."  
  
"Don't."  
  
"There's a girl, she's in danger, and she needs your help. Now. Time is running out. It's Friday, the day Cassie said she's going to die."  
  
"I can't. I can't hear you."  
  
"Is there something evil in the school? Down here, maybe. Spike, please, do you know anything?"  
  
"Yes. There's evil. Down here. Right here. I'm a bad man. William is a baaad man. I hurt the girl."  
  
Spike started to violently punch himself in the face and Buffy grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "Spike, stop it! What did you do?"  
  
"I hurt Faith, and I will pay. I am paying because I hurt the girl."  
  
"Spike. No. It's not Faith. It's a different girl, ok? Her name is Cassie Newton. Please, do you know anything specific?"  
  
Spike shook his head no, and Buffy sighed. She turned to leave, when Spike called out softly after her, "Don't.. don't leave me. Stay here, and help me be quiet."  
  
"I think it's worse when I'm here."  
  
"Don't let him hurt the girl."  
  
Buffy and Faith walked off. They reached the hallway upstairs and stopped at the sound of lockers being opened. They turned the corner and found Principal Wood and a security guard doing a locker search.  
  
"Well, there's nothing in this one. What've you got?" Principal Wood said to the guard.  
  
Mike walked by Buffy and Faith and Buffy grabbed his arm. "Where's your hall pass?"  
  
"No hall pass. I got a free period." Mike said. He started to walk off again, but Faith blocked his way.  
  
"You seem kind of upset. Something on your mind?" Faith asked.  
  
"No, not really. Well, I got a lousy 'B' in Egyptian history. Knew this stuff cold, so that, you know, that pisses me off."  
  
"You get pissed off a lot?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No, I.."  
  
"Let me cut to the chase. I hear you can't get a date for the winter formal."  
  
"Oh, whoa, look, I know it's your job to talk to kids with problems, but honestly I don't have any. I'm fine. All right, look, it's really no big deal. I have a friend that I really wanted to take. I don't know, I guess she doesn't see me that way. She makes me crazy."  
  
"Crazy?"  
  
"Yeah, sometimes I jus.. That's funny. You're Dawn's sister, right?"  
  
"Uh, that's right. Dawn is MY sister."  
  
"Oh, that's so weird. I was just thinking about her. Yeah, I was thinking if, you know, Cassie won't budge, maybe I'll ask Dawn."  
  
"You aren't mad at Cassie, with her rejecting you like that?" Faith asked.  
  
"Nah, she's a girl right? Making boys crazy is like your guys' job description."  
  
"You're asking my sister to the dance, and she's your second choice?" Buffy asked, offended.  
  
Behind Mike, Principal Wood and the security guard opened a locker and lots of coins fell out onto the hall floor. Buffy noticed the commotion.  
  
"I'll be keeping an eye on you." Buffy said. She and Faith went to the locker to check out the coins with the Principal and the security guard.  
  
"Seems like someone's got quite a coin collection, huh?" Principal Wood asked.  
  
Buffy picked one up, and it was unusual. She stood and looked at the label on the locker door, which read 281. Faith looked at the coin in Buffy's hand and followed the blonde back to the office. Buffy checked the school records and found the owner of locker 281. She sent a messenger to retrieve him.  
  
"Cool powers, B." Faith said. "Wish you woulda used the intercom. Maybe when no one's here, you can hook me up. Always did wanna mess around on one."  
  
"Faith, this is serious. This guy could know something." Buffy said.  
  
"Sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood."  
  
Buffy put her face in her hands and sighed. Looking back up at Faith when the messenger came back and said that the boy was right outside. Buffy waved her away and the boy came in and sat down.  
  
"You wanted to see me?" he asked.  
  
"You have locker number 281?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
Buffy held up the coin. "I want you to tell me what this is, and what this has to do with a girl named Cassie Newton."  
  
"I don't know. I-i-it's late. I'm going to miss my bus."  
  
"I know it's late. That's why I don't have time to mess around, so you need to talk to me. Now."  
  
"Believe me, i-i-if I knew anything, I'd tell you. I just don't."  
  
"Do you know why I came back to Sunnydale High?"  
  
"To creep me out?"  
  
"To help. I'm a counselor here because I wanna help. I know what it's like to walk these halls and feel lost, alone. I just want to make things better, connect. And I'm going to connect with your face if you don't stop wasting my time and help me do my job."  
  
"I.. please, I.."  
  
"A girl could die." Faith said.  
  
"I guess I know who you're talking about. She's some weirdo suicidal poet girl. These guys I know wanna mess with her. They've got this plan."  
  
  
  
Buffy and Faith looked around from under their robes in the library at all the boys that had gathered for some ritual to make them rich. Buffy rolled her eyes and listened to them talk.  
  
"All present?" Peter asked.  
  
"All present." The boys responded.  
  
"Then we begin." Someone giggled. "Mandel, shut up."  
  
"Sorry, dude, it's.. It's just so cool, I mean.. We're gonna be rich!" Mandel said.  
  
"Keep your shorts, all right. We have to do the ritual if we wanna score. Oh, Keith, did you take care of the fire exits?"  
  
"Yeah. Anybody tries to bust in here's gonna get a nasty surprise. I set up this booby trap my cousin Ben always used to do." Keith said.  
  
"Then nobody is getting in." Peter pulled a blindfolded, bound, and gagged Cassie from behind a bookshelf and into the circle. "And nobody is getting out."  
  
"Dude." Mandel said.  
  
"This is our sacrifice." Peter said, picking up a large cleaver. "It's nothing personal. It's just that you have this death-kick suicidal vibe going. I figure if you disappear, everybody'll just assume you threw yourself in a river somewhere. Extinguish." All the robed people holding candles licked their fingers and pressed them to the candlewick to extinguish the flames. "All mighty Avilas, please accept our sacrifice. Please appear before us, oh mighty soldier of the dark. Please appear before us, and grant us with infinite riches, and we will pay you with our sacrifice. We kneel before you with the gift of flesh."  
  
Buffy and Faith stood simultaneously and took off their robes. Buffy smirked and said, "Ok, that is going on your permanent record."  
  
"Wait, this is.. the counselor! What the hell is she doing here?" Peter asked.  
  
"I-it was his idea!" Mandel said.  
  
Buffy and Peter started to circle each other. Peter was still holding the cleaver. "Back off. Get back! Get back, you stupid bitch!" Peter said. Buffy kicked him in the face, and he fell back. He got back up and yelled, coming at her with a cleaver. "Aw, you're gonna die!" Buffy kicked him again, in the crotch this time, and he fell down in agony, dropping the cleaver.  
  
"Do you know how lame this is? Bored teenage boys trying to raise up a demon. Sorry it didn't show. I bet it's 'cause you forgot the boom box playing some heavy metal thing, like Blue Clam Cult. I think that's the key to the raising of lame demons." Buffy said.  
  
Peter looked behind Buffy and pointed. "That lame demon?"  
  
Buffy and Faith spun to look and saw the demon Avilas standing there. He was six feet tall with a curved horn coming out of either side of his head. He had scaly brown demon skin, very muscular, with fins jutting out from his shoulders. He also had a circular cavity where his abdomen should have been.  
  
Faith grabbed the cleaver from the floor in front of Peter and hurled it at the demon. It landed in its chest, but didn't phase the demon at all. Buffy lunged at it to attack it, but it threw her across the room.  
  
"Dude, help!" Kevin said to Peter.  
  
The demon took the cleaver out of its chest and threw it back on the floor near Peter. The demon went after Buffy and Faith, who each tried to kick him away. Peter grabbed the cleaver and went after Cassie.  
  
"NO!" Buffy yelled.  
  
Peter held the cleaver to Cassie, bending her head back to bare her neck. Buffy kicked one of the cult members out of the way, and the demon attacked her again, throwing her into a bookcase. While Buffy was down on the floor, the demon stepped on her chest.  
  
"No! OW!" Buffy cried.  
  
Faith tried to pull the demon off, but it threw her against a window, which shattered, and Faith went through unconscious. The demon was going to hurt Buffy when it turned around instead to measure a new threat. Spike stood behind him with the torch to the demon's back. It roared.  
  
"Spike?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Here to help. No hurting the girls." Spike said.  
  
"Untie her. I'll take care of this."  
  
Buffy took the torch from Spike and pointed it at the demon. Spike walked to Cassie. Buffy swept the torch in front of the demon's face. Spike punched Peter, knocking him to the ground. Buffy jabbed the torch into the demon's abdomen cavity. Spike was on top of Peter, pummeling him ferociously. After each punch, Spike paused to hold his aching head, and then he punched Peter again.  
  
"Who are you?" Peter asked.  
  
"I'm a bad man." Spike replied.  
  
After knocking Peter out, Spike grabbed the cleaver and held it menacingly over Peter while he stood. The demon had caught on fire from Buffy torching it. Spike used the cleaver gently to cut the ties on Cassie's hands, and then he took off the duct tape on her mouth. The demon burned to a crisp. Cassie was crying, but calmed down enough to tell Spike something about Faith.  
  
"Are you ok?" Buffy asked, coming up to Cassie.  
  
"Uh-huh. Ow." Cassie said as Buffy inspected her arm.  
  
Peter crawled over to the crispy demon. "You can't be dead. Where are my infinite riches?" The crispy demon jumped up and bit his shoulder. "Ahh! Ahh! It bit me!" Then the demon exploded.  
  
Faith stood up outside and jumped back through the window. "Damn, I was hoping to get that demon back."  
  
"C'mon." Buffy said. Faith, Buffy, and Cassie walked out to the library's front room. "It's all ok now. I hope you're not too disappointed." They walked to the main door, and when Buffy opened it, the booby trap triggered a crossbow to shoot an arrow at their heads. Buffy reached up in time to stop it from hitting Cassie between the eyes. "See?" Buffy broke the arrow in half. "You can make a difference."  
  
Cassie reached up and pushed a strand of Buffy's hair behind her ear. "And you will." Cassie breathed in sharply and collapsed onto the floor. Buffy and Faith kneeled down to help her. Buffy put her ear to Cassie's chest, then checked her pulse, and stroked her hair.  
  
"Cassie? Cassie. Cassie. No, come on. Cassie. Cassie." Buffy said as she started to cry.  
  
"B, come on. We need to call an ambulance." Faith said.  
  
"I can't leave her. I have to help her."  
  
"She's gone Buffy. You can't help her."  
  
Buffy looked up at Faith, tears streaming down her face.  
  
  
  
Buffy, Angel, Willow, Dawn, and Conner all sat around the living room. Buffy sat curled in on herself in the corner of the couch, crying. Angel sat next to her, holding her hand. Conner sat on the floor, his head resting against the edge of the couch. Dawn sat at the other end of the couch while Willow sat in the big comfy chair.  
  
"How is her mom?" Willow asked.  
  
"Ok. As ok as.. She told me that her family had a history of heart irregularities, but she never told Cassie." Buffy said.  
  
"Cassie didn't know? Then it was fate?"  
  
"I think she was gonna die, no matter what, wasn't she. Didn't matter what you did." Conner said.  
  
"She just knew. She was special. I failed her." Buffy said.  
  
"Uh-uh. No. You didn't, 'cause you tried." Dawn said, crying. "You listened, and you tried. She died 'cause of her heart, not 'cause of you. She was my friend. She was mine and Conner's friend because of you. I guess sometimes you can't help."  
  
"So what then? What do you do when you know that? When you know that maybe you can't help?"  
  
"You keep fighting." Angel said gently. "We're champions, Buffy. It doesn't matter that in the long run we can't save everyone. All that matters is that we try and we keep fighting. And I learned that from you. Remember what you said to me? We never will win. That's not why we fight. We do it 'cause there are things worth fighting for."  
  
Buffy just stared back at him. She knew he was right, but right now, she was in her own personal hell because of all she had done to save Cassie only to have it crushed by a heart condition. All Buffy could do was fold herself into his arms and cry. 


	14. Selfless part 1

Chapter 14  
  
Xander, Buffy, and Angel were helping move things into Willow's room, Buffy's old room. Xander was talking about Anya.. again.. And Buffy was doing her best to listen. Conner and Dawn were helping Willow fold clothes and put other things away.  
  
"Have you talked to her lately?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not since that night with the Gnarl demon. And that wasn't exactly the kind of 'how have you been' kind of talk. More of the 'pierce its eye with something sharp' kind of talking. I'm thinking I should call her." Xander replied.  
  
"I just don't want you to get your hopes up."  
  
"Hopes? Oh, no, no, no, no, no. There are no hopes. Anya and I are done. I love being single. I'm a strong, successful male who is giddy at the thought of all the women I will no doubt be dating in the near future."  
  
"Strong, successful males say 'giddy'?" Angel asked with a smirk.  
  
"I just worry about her, that's all."  
  
"Anya?" Conner asked.  
  
"Yeah, she seems so sad."  
  
"She should try acting like everybody else more." Dawn said.  
  
"Apparently it's what all the kids are doing nowadays." Willow said.  
  
"Well, I'm not sure I get the sad vibe, but there's definitely a vengeance vibe worth worrying about." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, that? No, no. I don't worry about that. She was hurt and she just turned back to what she knew when I.. you know. But that's not her anymore." Xander said.  
  
"I hope you're right."  
  
"Well, she turned that worm guy back before any real damage happened, right? It'll just take some time. I really think she's coming around."  
  
"I hope your right."  
  
Xander clapped his hands together. "So, are we done here?" Willow looked around. "Pretty much. I can finish the rest by myself."  
  
"Conner, you ready to practice throwing that pigskin around?" Xander asked.  
  
"Ew! I don't want to throw pigskins around! That's disgusting!" Conner said.  
  
"Sweetie, he didn't mean actual pigskins. He meant a football. It's what some people call them for some odd reason." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh! Sorry."  
  
"It's ok." Xander said. "Living on the Hellmouth makes you cautious. It's a good quality. Angel, you wanna join?"  
  
"I don't know." Angel said.  
  
"Come on dad! Please?" Conner asked.  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Why are you asking me? I'm not your mother. I'm his." Buffy said, pointing at Conner.  
  
"Come on dad!" Conner said.  
  
"All right." Angel said.  
  
Conner, Angel, and Xander left and went out to the backyard. Dawn followed the boys, wanting to maybe join in the little game. Buffy and Willow looked at each other and then followed them out. When they got outside, Dawn had actually joined in on Xander's team. The two sat down on the back patio steps and watched them play.  
  
"Are you still mad at him?" Willow asked.  
  
"Who?" Buffy asked, turning to look at Willow.  
  
"Angel. Are you still mad at him for that whole smooch?"  
  
"A little. We made up a little more last night, but.."  
  
"I heard and 'but' what?"  
  
"I don't know. It's just.. I love him so much that seeing him with his mouth on another woman's.. another beautiful woman's mouth, it just set off alarms in my head that I can't compare to her."  
  
"Buffy, that girl has nothing on you. You hold Angel's heart. He loves you and you only."  
  
"He's been with a lot of women. Women that were much more gorgeous than me. Take Darla for example."  
  
"Darla was so not prettier than you!"  
  
"I only meant that a couple of years ago, when he was a little depressed and hitting rock bottom, instead of coming to me and talking to me.. He chose to sleep with Darla."  
  
"She just happened to be there. All she was to him was a convenience, Buffy. He staked her for you. Do you know what that means in the vampire community? That's a huge deal. Not to mention that they were involved for 140 something years."  
  
"Comfort talk Will, comfort talk."  
  
"Sorry. I was just pointing that fact out."  
  
"It's ok. He's working his way back up. I can't stay mad at him forever. Probably cause I don't have forever like he does." Buffy said as she watched Angel and Conner laugh and high five each other after Conner made a touchdown.  
  
"They've gotten pretty close, huh?"  
  
"It's exactly the way I wanted them to be." Buffy smiled a little. "You go back to college tomorrow, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Are you excited?"  
  
"Yes and no. I'm a little more nervous than what I thought I'd be."  
  
"You'll do fine!"  
  
"My last Sunday before school. It's crazy."  
  
"Yeah. I'm back in High School and you're in college again."  
  
"Only, you guys don'ts have school this week, right?"  
  
"Fall break. Thanking the Powers for that one!"  
  
Willow laughed and Buffy joined in. Conner waved at them to join in on the game. The two women stood and walked over. Buffy joined Angel and Conner's team and Willow went over to Dawn and Xander's team.  
  
"No fair! All the superpowers are on that team!" Xander said.  
  
"You have a witch!" Buffy retorted. "She can teleport the ball for a touchdown."  
  
Willow chuckled as Xander patted her on the back and told her to do just that at least a couple of times. The game went on for a while before Xander decided it was late and he needed to get home. He left and the rest of the gang curled up in the living room to watch "Queen of the Damned" on DVD.  
  
  
  
Buffy finished putting the last dish into the dishwasher just as the phone started to ring. She turned off the water and dried her hands yelling, "I'll get it!" Buffy picked up the phone in the kitchen just as Angel walked in. "Hello. Willow, hey! Is everything.. A spider demon? Wh.. h- hold on. A-are you all right? Like how?" Buffy grabbed a piece of paper from the message pad to write something down. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Wait, ok, go ahead. No, no, no, no, no. It's all good. I'll get Angel to go. But seriously, you just.. Whoa. Ripped out the heart? My God." Buffy paused and then brightened. "Hey, did you get that physics class you wanted? Cool! What? Oh. Ok. Later." Buffy hung up the phone.  
  
"Spider demon?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah. Willow was attacked in a fraternity house by one after finding the bodies of the whole frat with their hearts ripped out."  
  
"Sounds dangerous."  
  
"Let's grab some weapons and go. You write a note telling where we're at just in case Dawn and Conner come home from town before we get back."  
  
An hour later, Buffy and Angel were trekking through the woods, searching for the spider demon. They were silent most of the way. That was until Angel tripped over the body of a boy's body.  
  
"How big did she say this thing was?" Angel asked.  
  
"She didn't. But I can't imagine she'd send us out if it wasn't.." Buffy looked down. "The heart is completely ripped out. This is our guy."  
  
"What's this black stuff?" There were black stringy things hanging off the nearby tree. Angel reached out and touched it. "Ah! Sticky!"  
  
"Willow said it was a spider demon. Maybe it's its webbing.  
  
A noise came from the tree above them, like something moving around in it. "Angel."  
  
"Is that it?"  
  
"I can't tell. There is definitely something moving up there."  
  
"Maybe we can somehow lure it."  
  
One of the sticky black webs shot down from the tree, landing on Angel's shoulder. He dove out of the way.  
  
"Angel!"  
  
The spider jumped out of the tree, knocked Buffy down to the ground, and landed on top of her. She squirmed, but couldn't get free as the spider demon's second mouth came out to try and bite her face. She pushed it off, and it scurried away. She grabbed her battle-axe off the ground and looked up in the tree for the spider demon.  
  
"Are you ok?" Angel asked.  
  
Buffy examined where the demon had cut her. "I'll heal."  
  
Angel looked at one of the cuts on Buffy's back. "I think we need more swords."  
  
"Uh-huh." Buffy was looking up in the tree.  
  
"I say we go home, pick up more swords and then we come back, and.." Buffy who had never stopped tracking the spider demon in the tree, threw her battle-axe up into the treetop. The spider fell to the ground with the axe in it. "Or, we do that."  
  
"I vote the ladder." Buffy said.  
  
"Let's get you home and bandaged up."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Humor your husband."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and they walked back to the van. Angel drove them home and found Xander's car parked out front and he was just getting out. They got out and met Xander at the steps. Xander asked what had happened and Buffy explained the spider demon.  
  
They walked in, Buffy saying, "I'm more concerned with where that thing came from. If there are more of those spider demons running around, we need to know about it. We should hit the research, find out if.."  
  
"I know where it came from." Willow said. She sat in the comfy chair waiting for them.  
  
"Where?" Angel asked.  
  
"Anya. She summoned them."  
  
Buffy and Angel moved to sit on the couch while Xander sat down next to Buffy, who sat in the middle.  
  
"How many?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Ten, twelve."  
  
"When were you planning on telling us?" Xander asked.  
  
"I'm telling you now."  
  
"Great. Thank you. Willow, it's Anya. How could you let us.. How could you not have told us?"  
  
"Xander.." Buffy said.  
  
"How could you not have told me?"  
  
"Xander. It's ok. She didn't tell us for a reason. She didn't tell us because she knows what I have to do." Buffy said. Xander looked from Willow to Angel and back to Buffy. "I have to kill Anya."  
  
"What!? No!"  
  
"She's not the Anya that you knew, Xander. She's a demon." Angel said.  
  
"That doesn't mean you have to kill her."  
  
"Don't act like this is easy for me. You know it's not." Buffy said.  
  
"There are other options."  
  
"I've considered them."  
  
"When? Just now? Took you all of ten seconds to decide to kill one of your best friends?"  
  
"The thought that it might come to this has occurred to me before. It's occurred to you, too."  
  
"But we can change what she did. Fix it. These are mystical deaths, right? There has to be something."  
  
"I don't have anywhere near that kind of power. I didn't have that kind of power when.. And I-I don't think I trust the power I do have." Willow said.  
  
"It's ok." Angel said to Willow.  
  
"Xander, I know this is hard for you to hear, but it's what I have to do." Buffy said.  
  
"Hard for me to hear? Buffy, you wanna kill Anya!" Xander said.  
  
"I don't want to."  
  
"Then don't! This isn't new ground for us. When our friends go all crazy and start killing people, we help them."  
  
"She's sitting right here!" Willow said.  
  
"I'm sorry. But it's true."  
  
"It's different." Buffy said.  
  
"Because you don't care about her the same way I do. Buffy, I still love her."  
  
"I know. And that's why you can't see this for what it really is. Willow was different. She's a human. Anya's a demon."  
  
"And you're the slayer. I see now how it's all very simple."  
  
"It is never simple."  
  
Xander stood angrily. "No, of course not. You know, if there's a mass- murdering demon that you're, oh, say, married to, then it's all gray area."  
  
"Sitting right here." Angel said.  
  
"I think we're being ignored." Willow said.  
  
"Do not talk about him that way! He's helped in so many more ways than you could ever imagine. He's saved YOUR life more times than I can count." Buffy said.  
  
"He had no choice." Xander retorted.  
  
"And Anya did! She chose to become a demon. Twice."  
  
"You have no idea what she's going through."  
  
"I don't care what she's going through!" Buffy stood up too.  
  
"No, of course not. You think we haven't seen all this before? The part where you just cut us all out. Just step away from everything human and act like you're the law. If you knew what I felt.."  
  
"I killed Angel! Do you even remember that? I would have given up everything I had to be with him back then. I still would. I love him more than I will ever love anything in this life. And I put a sword through his heart because I had to."  
  
"And that all worked out ok. Cause, you know, here you are." Willow said to Angel.  
  
"Do you remember cheering me on? Both of you. Do you remember giving me Willow's message: Kick his ass." Buffy asked Xander.  
  
"I never said that!"  
  
"This is different."  
  
"It is always different! It's always complicated. And at some point, someone has to draw the line, and that is always going to be me. You get down on me for cutting myself off, but in the end the slayer is always cut off. There's no mystical guidebook. No all-knowing council. Human rules don't apply. There's only me. I am the law."  
  
"There has to be another way."  
  
"Then please find it."  
  
Xander took his coat and left. Buffy went to the tool chest and grabbed a sword. She looked at Willow, wanting her to follow, but Willow didn't move.  
  
"I can't. I'm sorry." Willow said.  
  
Buffy left, slamming the door. Angel sighed and went after her. 


	15. Selfless part 2

Chapter 15  
  
Angel ran after Buffy and finally caught up to her. She was in a rage over Xander and Buffy was dangerous when she was truly pissed. He grabbed her arm and yanked her to a stop, matching her fury.  
  
"Buffy, stop!" Angel said.  
  
"Do you want me to kill you again?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Personally, no. Not wanting to feel the wrath of Buffy again. I just want you to calm down before you go off and do this."  
  
"Are you trying to stop me? Let Xander get in there and save his beloved Anya?"  
  
"No, I'm really not. I understand why you have to do this. I really do, but I don't want you to go in there and end up mercilessly killing Anya because you're pissed off at Xander."  
  
"I have to be merciless Angel. I'm the Slayer. I don't get to be merciful. I can't."  
  
"I know. Speaking from experience here. You've always had to put your heart aside in situations like this. Xander's never gotten that."  
  
"He needs to. Angel, I can't have him interfering in these types of things anymore. I could have.. I.."  
  
"You could've what?"  
  
"I could have saved you. Because of Xander, I had more heartache than I could ever imagine."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I heard Willow. And I believe her."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"That morning I went to kill you, Willow tried the spell again and it worked. I didn't know about it though." Buffy flashed back to that morning five years ago when she had killed Angel. The confusion she had felt when she realized that Angel was back. The last kiss, her plunging the sword through Angel's heart. "Willow didn't tell Xander to tell me to kick your ass. Xander was told to tell me Willow was trying the spell again so I could distract you. Stop you from awakening Acathla." Buffy flashed to Xander telling her to kick Angel's ass. "Because of Xander, I had to kill you."  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
She ignored him, shoved her emotions to the back of her mind, and walked on towards the campus. Angel followed and Buffy followed her senses to the frat house. She stepped onto the threshold and listened to Anya.  
  
"I have a job to do. And so does Buffy. Xander, you've always seen what you wanted to. But you knew, sooner or later, it would come to this." She said. Xander turned to the door and saw Buffy standing there. "Buffy, get out of here."  
  
"Get out of my way, Xander." Buffy said.  
  
"No." Xander turned to Anya.  
  
Anya was in demon face and she looked cruelly at Xander. "Get out of her way, Xander."  
  
Anya backhanded Xander and he fell down out of the way. Buffy lunged at her with the sword, but Anya pushed her off. Angel stood back, waiting to jump in if Buffy seemed to be losing at any point. Buffy and Anya continued to fight while Anya continued to talk.  
  
"This is getting to be a pattern with you, Buffy. Are there any friends of your left you haven't tried to kill? C'mon, Buffy. Don't you have a clever retort for me?"  
  
The fighting was fairly even, but it looked as if Anya may have had the slight upper hand. Buffy was thrown onto the floor. She looked up at Anya and stood.  
  
"Anya, I'm sorry." Buffy said.  
  
"You're apologizing to me. What fight are you watching? Or is this like one of your little pop-culture references I don't get, 'cause I'm a vengeance de.." Anya lunged at Buffy who pressed her against the wall and stabbed her in the heart with her sword. Anya groaned and morphed back to human face. She slumped, but didn't fall. Xander regained consciousness and was still on the floor. He looked over and saw Anya's condition.  
  
"Anya!" he yelled.  
  
Angel walked up to Buffy, thinking the fight was over and Buffy had done her job. She took his hand and watched Xander. But Anya wasn't down and out. Anya, face tear-streaked and bloody, suddenly gasped for air and opened her eyes. She looked down at the sword in her chest.  
  
"Forgotten how much swords through the chest hurt." Anya pulled the sword out. "Aaahh!" She breathed heavily. "You know better than that, Buffy. It takes a lot more to kill a vengeance demon."  
  
"Oh, I'm just getting started." Buffy said.  
  
Anya came at Buffy with the sword. Buffy pushed a stool at her, knocking her off balance. She fell to the floor, dropping the sword. Anya was lying with her back on the floor. Buffy took the sword, straddled Anya, and prepared for another thorough double-fisted stabbing of Anya. Xander pushed Buffy out of the way. They all stood up.  
  
"Stop trying to save me, Xander!" Anya yelled.  
  
Lightening bolts flashed in the room, knocking everyone down, then D'Hoffryn appeared. "Oh, please, don't mind me. Continue with whatever it was you were doing." He said, walking to look in an adjacent room. "Oh, breathtaking. It's like somebody slaughtered an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog." Buffy stood and grabbed her sword. "Easy now. I'd be gone before you could swing." The demon sighed and offered a hand to Anya to help her stand. "Isn't that just like a Slayer. Solving all her problems by sticking things with sharp objects. I talked to your friend, Miss Rosenberg. She's a firebrand. I have high hopes for her."  
  
"Stay away from Willow." Xander said.  
  
"Oh, he's gallant, isn't he?" D'Hoffryn said to Anya. "I understand what you saw in him. Look, Miss Rosenberg seems to think Anyanka would be better suited outside the vengeance fold. I think we already know what Lady Hacks-Away wants. And the young man, he sees with the eyeballs of love. But I'm not sure if anyone's bothered to find out what Anyanka herself really wants."  
  
"Her name is Anya."  
  
"Actually, funny historical side-bar, her original name was.."  
  
"I wanna take it back." Anya said, crying.  
  
"I'm sorry. What was that?"  
  
"I wanna take it back. I wanna undo what I did."  
  
"Hmm. You want to take it back. Must be twelve bodies in there. Such a thing.. not easily done. But not impossible. You're a big girl, Anyanka. You understand how this works. The proverbial scales must balance. In order to restore the lives of the victims, the fates require a sacrifice. The life and soul of a vengeance demon."  
  
"Do it."  
  
"Wait!" Xander yelled.  
  
"Stay out of this Xander."  
  
"Ok, all right. That seems smart. He just said you have to die! Perhaps there's some sort of alternate price."  
  
"Xander, you can't help me. I'm not even sure there's a me to help." Anya turned back to D'Hoffryn. "I understand the price. Do it."  
  
"You're sure? This is your wish?" D'Hoffryn asked.  
  
"This is my wish. Undo what I did."  
  
"Very well." D'Hoffryn gestured with his hands and a flash of light appeared.  
  
"No!" Xander yelled.  
  
Where the flash was, Halfrek showed up, smiling sweetly. "Anya!"  
  
Anya looked at D'Hoffryn, realizing what was going to happen. "Hallie!"  
  
Halfrek burst into flames and light shot out of her eyes. She shrieked and disappeared. Anya started to cry as D'Hoffryn berated her. "Who did you think you were dealing with? Did you think it would be that easy to get away?"  
  
"Why?" Anya asked.  
  
"Why? Because you wished it!"  
  
"But she was yours."  
  
"Like you were mine? Haven't I taught you anything, Anya? Never go for the kill when you can go for the pain." Xander started for D'Hoffryn, but Buffy stopped him. "Hold him back, Slayer. Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. I've got plenty of girls. There will always be vengeance demons. But now you, Anya, you're out. Congratulations. You're wish is granted."  
  
"You should've killed me."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. From beneath you, it devours. Be patient. All good things in time." In a flash, D'Hoffryn disappeared.  
  
Anya looked at Xander, Angel, and Buffy and walked out. Buffy sighed and looked at Xander.  
  
"Go. We'll check on the boys." Buffy said.  
  
Xander ran out of the room and went after Anya. Buffy and Angel walked to the room D'Hoffryn had commented on. The room looked normal. No blood, no bodies, nothing.  
  
"I guess they went about their lives." Buffy said.  
  
"Hey! What are you.. You're cute!" a guy said to Buffy, coming from upstairs.  
  
"Back off." Angel told him.  
  
"Whoa! Just sayin'!"  
  
"I think I liked him better dead." Buffy said.  
  
"Whoa! Freaky chick! I like."  
  
"Down boy. I'm not in to frat boys. Not anymore."  
  
Buffy walked out of the frat house and out into the fresh night air. "I'm pretty sure they're all going to be fine."  
  
"Yeah. Horny little bastards." Angel said.  
  
"Let's go home!"  
  
"Fine by me."  
  
  
  
"Buffy, are you packed?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah. Just finished. Where are you taking me?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Away. Vacation." Angel turned and called, "Be right back!" He walked downstairs and found Willow and Xander sitting in the living room. They looked up when he walked in. "Ok, you sure you guys want to do this?"  
  
"Angel, go. You and Buffy deserve this." Willow said. "She needs to forgive you and you guys need to talk more."  
  
"Ok, the keys to the van are in the kitchen by the phone. Conner and Dawn aren't allowed after eleven."  
  
"Angel.. we know. I live here, remember?"  
  
"Go. Have fun. Make nookie. Lose money." Xander said. "Things are fine here."  
  
"Thank you guys." Angel said.  
  
Buffy walked down the stairs with the suitcase. "You know, you're the man of the house. Why aren't you hauling bags?"  
  
"Give 'em here." Angel took the bags and headed out the door to the convertible.  
  
Willow and Xander came over to the foyer where Buffy stood with Conner and Dawn, getting ready to leave. She turned to them and said, "I guess I'll see you guys in a few days. He's not telling me where we're going."  
  
"You'll love it, Buff." Xander said.  
  
"I better." Buffy turned to Conner. "Be good. I love you."  
  
"I love you too mom." Conner said, hugging Buffy.  
  
"Bye Dawn. Behave yourself. I love you."  
  
"I'll try. Love you too Buffy." She and Buffy hugged.  
  
"Get outta here. Go have fun." Willow said. She and Buffy hugged then Buffy and Xander.  
  
"Bye guys! Love you all." Buffy walked out to the convertible. Angel started it up and backed out into the street. With a honk and a wave, Angel sped off. 


	16. The House Always Wins part 1

Chapter 16  
  
"Where are we going?" Buffy asked. She and Angel sat in the front seat of the convertible with Fred and Gunn in the back. Angel had stopped in LA and picked Gunn and Fred up after asking Willow and Xander to watch Dawn and Conner for a few days.  
  
"It's a surprise." Angel said with a smirk.  
  
"You do realize that if this is completely pointless, Buffy's going to rip your head off, right?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I know, but she'll love it. You all will love it."  
  
"So far I'm not loving. You make me leave my cozy little home and my family and you take me on a road trip through the desert." Buffy said. Her eyes widened and she looked at Angel. "You're not Angelus, are you? Taking us out in the desert and killing the people that can get rid of you faster than the others?"  
  
"Buffy, I'm not Angelus. Trust me, will you?"  
  
"You're still earning." Buffy turned her head away and stared out over the darkened sand dunes. The wind whipped her pony-tailed hair back and forth and she blinked when it smacked her in the eye. Tears started to form in her eye as she struggled to scratch the pain away. Which is why she didn't notice the sign that said, "Welcome to Las Vegas." All she heard was Gunn say, "Now this is my kind of spiritual retreat."  
  
"I just thought we could all use a little getaway to decompress. I know I haven't had a vacation in a while. Plus, Happy Anniversary Buffy." Angel said. "Ok, I know it's a little early, but I figured with your new job that you couldn't get away in early December. Also, it's fall break for you and the kids and you could get away now." Buffy didn't respond her eyes were tightly shut and tears fell down one of her cheeks. "Buffy? Sweetie? Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine." Buffy squeaked. "My hair just shot my eye out. I'll be ok." She opened her blurry eyes and stared around at all the bright lights. "Where are we?"  
  
"Welcome to Las Vegas!" Gunn said.  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Happy Anniversary." Angel said.  
  
"Is this an attempt to make up for kissing that Gwen girl?"  
  
"Maybe just a little one. Besides, I think we spent enough time talking and messing around. I thought I needed something bigger to win you back. Did it work?"  
  
Buffy tried to look sternly at him, but the look on his face made her smile and lean in to kiss his cheek. "It worked."  
  
"Yeah, but the other reason we're here is to see Lorne, right?" Fred asked.  
  
"Absolutely. And maybe afterwards we can check out that Danny Gans guy I keep seeing billboards for." Angel said.  
  
"You mean after Lorne reads you? To help you get back on your path?"  
  
"Yeah, whatever. Wow. This place sure has changed!"  
  
"Angel, you said that last time we were here." Buffy said, sliding under Angel's arm.  
  
"But I didn't tell Gunn and Fred."  
  
"Baton down the hatches, here comes hurricane memories."  
  
"Get out. You never told me you've been to Vegas before you and Buffy got married." Gunn said.  
  
"Yeah, a few times. Used to be dunes over there." Angel said, pointing.  
  
"Oh, man, it has been a while. They tore down the Dunes ten years ago."  
  
"Not the casino. He meant actual dunes." Buffy said.  
  
"Bugsy used to call them dung piles."  
  
"Bugsy? Bugsy Siegel?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Yeah. Not one with words, I know, but the man, he had a mean backhand on the tennis court. So, what do you guys wanna do first?"  
  
"Ah, well, the place Lorne is singing at is called the Tropicana." Fred said.  
  
"The Tropicana? THE Tropicana? That can't be right." Gunn said.  
  
"Why not?" Fred asked.  
  
"Ah, the Tropicana is a pretty high profile casino, not some low-key, out- of-the-way dive. Looking the way Lorne does, you have to go some place a little more, you know, discreet." Angel said.  
  
"Um, how discreet, exactly?" Buffy asked, staring at a huge lighted billboard of Lorne.  
  
"Apparently not THAT discreet." Gunn said.  
  
"Let's go to the hotel and freshen up before we go to the casino." Angel said.  
  
"Good idea."  
  
Angel drove them to an expensive looking hotel that he explained had been where Buffy and him had stayed in for a couple of days as their honeymoon getaway. They went up to their rooms and changed. Angel got into a casual suit while Buffy changed into a short brown suede skirt and a black peasant top with a black leather jacket that reached her knees and black leather knee high boots. She darkened her makeup a little and let her hair flow down her shoulders. They all met back at the car and drove to the Tropicana.  
  
They were just in time for Lorne's first show of the night. The audience applauded as the show started. Buffy, Angel, Gunn, and Fred took a table in the middle of the whole place and watched the scantly clad girls dance and Lorne pop up out of nowhere between feathers some of the girls held. He walked to a stool and sat down and began to sing.  
  
"It's not that easy being green. Having to spend each day the color of the leaves. When I think it could be nicer being red or yellow or.." Lorne crooned.  
  
"Kermit!" Buffy said. Angel looked at her strangely. She shrugged. "What? I used to watch the Muppets all the time when I was little."  
  
"No one seems to be bothered by the fact that he's a demon." Gunn said.  
  
"They must think it's all makeup like the blue man group." Fred said. She turned to Angel. "You don't think the blue man group.."  
  
"Only two of them." Angel said.  
  
"Oh, but green's the color of spring, and green can be cool and friendly like. Oh, and green can be big like an ocean, or important like a mountain, or tall like a tree. Oh, when green is all there is to green it could make you wonder why, but why wonder why wonder. I am green and it'll do fine. It's beautiful and I think it's what I want to be." Lorne finished his song and the audience, including the group, applauded. Lorne waited till it was quiet before he went on. "Thank you! Thank you so much! You know, I got to tell you folks, I got to tell you, you are by far the kickingest crowd that I had the privilege of performing to here at the Tropicana." More applause. "Yes! Yes, that's right. Give it up for your sweet selves. Alright!" He loosened his tie. "Now, you know what? Just for you guys, I think it's time we cranked things up a notch. What do you say?" There was some cheering. "Here, you go, honey." Lorne dropped his tie down into the crowd. "Yeah. Maestro, give me some drums, si'l vous plait." The drums played. "Ah, that's it! That's it! Paco, give me a little bass! Ah, merci, merci! Now all I need is a little help from my Lornettes!" The stage curtain opened to reveal the dancing girls from earlier, and the crowd cheered. "Yeah! Strut it, girls! Yeah. Come on girls!" He jumped off stage and into the crowd singing "Lady Marmalade."  
  
Fred jumped in her seat and screamed loudly. Buffy, Angel, and Gunn turned to stare at her. She pushed her hair behind her ear and said, "He's very good."  
  
They all turned back to watch Lorne perform. At one point he held the mike in front of a guy wearing a suit, who complied by singing the next line. The crowd cheered. A little while later he offered the mike to a middle- aged lady to sing another line as he worked his way through the crowd.  
  
"Oh, here he comes! He's gonna plotz when he sees us." Fred said.  
  
"Huh-uh. He better not stick that damn mike in my face." Gunn said.  
  
"Oh, come on, Charles. It's all in fun. Besides, you have a nice voice."  
  
"Yeah, you do it if you want, but I'm not in the mood to.."  
  
"He's gone!" Buffy said.  
  
"He just went right by." Fred said.  
  
"Oh. Well.. Good." Gunn said.  
  
"He didn't even wish you guys a happy anniversary!"  
  
"I'm sure he didn't even see us." Buffy said.  
  
Lorne walked up to a girl and said, "All right! Well, you're just a tickle- me cutie! What's your name, peach pie?"  
  
"Vivian." She said.  
  
"Oh, Viv, looks like you got a little celebration going on here."  
  
"Ah, well, a going away party actually."  
  
"Going away? Honey, we just met! Where are you going?"  
  
"Paris. I was just accepted to a culinary school there."  
  
"Oh, well, isn't that great? How about sending a little goodwill to our chef of the future?" the crowd cheered. "Ah, yes, marvelous. Thank you honey. And Vivian, I only have one thing to say to you.." Lorne burst back into song.  
  
After a while the show ended and the audience left. The group slipped out a back door and went with some fans to watch for Lorne. They stood amongst the talkative crowd and waited.  
  
"This was just wow! Wasn't it? I-I mean the laser lights, the Lornette girls, and hello! Thirty piece orchestra?" Fred said.  
  
"Yeah, but I still don't know why he dissed us during the sing-a-long. It's just nice to be asked, is all." Gunn said.  
  
"Ah, I don't know. I thought it was a little over produced for my tastes. It's like I told Sammy Davis at the Sands: 'when you, Frank, and Dean are the meal, you don't need the trimmings.'" Angel said.  
  
"Awe, not the Rat Pack story again sweetie." Buffy said  
  
"Hold on. You knew the Rat-Pack?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Know them?" Angel asked excitedly, but Buffy pinched his arm and he toned it down. "No. I met them once. Twice. For drinks. Maybe it was three times. I did have a life before you guys came along." Angel said.  
  
"So, do you know what you're gonna sing?" Fred asked.  
  
"Sing?"  
  
"For Lorne so he can read you."  
  
"Hey, you know, we-we don't have to do that right away. We just got here. Hey, who's up for some blackjack?"  
  
Buffy was about to say something, but Lorne and his posse stepped out through a door and the crowd around them went nuts.  
  
"Hi! How are you?" Lorne said.  
  
"Lorne! Lorne, it's us!" Fred yelled.  
  
Lorne signed some autographs for people in the font, but never really looked at any of the group. "Hey! Love ya."  
  
"We love you t.. Wait. That was him being superficial, wasn't it?"  
  
Lorne turned away towards his dressing room, flanked by two security guards. Angel tried to follow. "Hey! Lorne, wait!" Two more security guards stopped Angel. "Whoa. Easy, okay? I know him. I just wanna say hello."  
  
"You and everybody else, pal." One of the guards said.  
  
Angel and the rest of the group watched as Lorne walked off without so much as a glance back. Buffy grabbed Angel's arm and pulled him back. She led them all out into the casino area. After a few minutes, Gunn found a table to sit at and he and Fred sat down. Buffy stood directly behind them and leaned on Gunn's shoulder. Angel stood a little ways behind her.  
  
"Angel, come on. Sit down. Relax. Play a few hands." Gunn said.  
  
"I don't get it. Lorne knows we're here. Why hasn't he contacted us by now?" Angel said.  
  
"Honey, don't worry. He will." Buffy said.  
  
"Maybe he was just tired after his performance." Fred added.  
  
"Yeah. Or maybe it's hard to see us common folks from way up on high." Gunn said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Success. Makes you forget the little people."  
  
'I don't believe that. Not Lorne."  
  
"What? You saw the way my man dissed us. It happens." Gunn looked at the dealer. "Hit me."  
  
Gunn ordered a drink and it came a few minutes later. Eventually, Buffy sat down and looked at Gunn's hand after she turned around and saw Angel handing a note over to one of the Lornettes. The dealer offered her some cards, but Buffy declined. She leaned her head against Gunn's shoulder and sighed.  
  
"You ok Buff?" Gunn asked.  
  
"No. I thought this was going to fun. You know, anniversary: yay! But so far, boring. Well, minus Lorne's show." Buffy said. "I was expecting to miss the shows all together and have some fun at the hotel, like we did before."  
  
"We will eventually. Trust me, I was looking forward to that too."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"You don't wanna play some cards?"  
  
"Nah. This whole gambling thing is stupid to me. Besides, I don't have that much money to blow."  
  
"Your hubby's rich. You have plenty of ching, ching." Buffy giggled and watched as Fred won again and again.  
  
"I'm feeling really bad about this." Fred said.  
  
"Oh, don't feel bad, babe. If I had your head for numbers, I'd be counting cards, too."  
  
"No! I mean about Lorne acting weird with us."  
  
"The guy's on some old 'star trek.' Man. Who needs him?"  
  
"Angel does. I'm really worried about him, Charles. He was acting strange the whole time we were in the show."  
  
"The man has had to bear a whole lot more over the years. Plus, he's being playing Mr. Mom at home. Buff's a working gal now and Angel's job doesn't start till the sun goes down. So, Lorne or no Lorne, I think this trip idea is going to do Angel a world of good."  
  
"I hope so." Buffy said.  
  
"It's gonna be fine."  
  
"Maybe you're right. I just wish we knew what was going on with Lorne." Fred said.  
  
"Well, let's find out."  
  
"What now?"  
  
"Hey, if it'll make my honey and my best friend feel better, put their minds at ease, my fun can wait."  
  
"It's because you're out of chips isn't it?" Buffy asked with a grin.  
  
Gunn stood. "Yeah."  
  
Buffy turned around and didn't see Angel anywhere. "Where did Angel go? He was standing right there a second ago."  
  
"Well, wherever he is, I'm betting he's having a whole lot better luck than me."  
  
"Yeah, right."  
  
Buffy led them through the hallways and back to where they had stood waiting for Lorne before. The velvet rope was gone and they walked up to the corner where Lorne had disappeared behind. They each peered around the corner and saw French doors with a star that said Lorne on each one. Accompanying each door was a bodyguard. Both were over built and stereotypical.  
  
"Man. Heads of state don't get this much security. Something's starting to feel a lot 'not right' about this." Gunn said.  
  
"That's what I've been saying only with better grammar. Should we find Angel?" Fred asked.  
  
"Well, we're never gonna get past the bruiser twins over there without a fight. I'd kind of like to avoid that." Buffy said.  
  
One of the Lornettes came out of a door in the adjacent hallway and walked past, not seeing them. Gunn smiled and looked down a Buffy and Fred. At first, neither of the girls got what he was trying to say, but then Buffy's eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect "O."  
  
"No!" Buffy said.  
  
"Yes." Gunn said.  
  
"I am not going to dress like a floozy just to get in there to see Lorne!"  
  
"It's the only way to avoid a fight."  
  
"He's right Buffy." Fred said.  
  
"But.." Buffy said.  
  
"Come on." Fred tugged Buffy's arm and led her over to the dressing room when the guards weren't looking.  
  
40 minutes later, Buffy and Fred emerged all dolled up in green makeup, slutty corsets, and red horns. Fred carried a tray with a martini on it. They marched right up to the guards and were about to walk right on in, but one of the guards stopped them.  
  
"What's this? He already got his drink." He said.  
  
"Ah. Yeah. He-he did." Fred said.  
  
"Right. I know. They-they told us.. I mean, they sent us to.." Buffy said hinting.  
  
"Oh, I get it. It's a little pre-show diddle for the green guy, huh?" the other guard asked.  
  
"Yeah, two for one. If you get what I'm saying."  
  
"What? Diddle? I'm what?" Fred asked.  
  
"Oh, don't be nervous. The demon, he doesn't bite not with his mouth anyway."  
  
They started through the doors, but the bigger of the guards stopped Fred. "Wait a minute." Fred glanced back at where Gunn was peering around a corner. "You missed a couple of spots on your neck and behind your ear. You might want to fix that before you go out on stage."  
  
"Oh, right. 'cause that would have been really embarrassing." Fred said.  
  
Buffy and Fred strutted through the door into Lorne's dressing room. Fred dropped the tray as Lorne barely stopped the swing with the whiskey bottle towards her head as soon as the door closed.  
  
"Oh! I'm sorry peach pie. I thought that you just might have been.." Lorne said.  
  
"Your little diddle buddies?" Buffy asked.  
  
"My whatle what?" Lorne looked closer at the two of them and realized who they were. "Oh, F-Fred? Blondie?" He let out a laugh and hugged them both. "Oh, hey, hallelujah! Oh, my little sweet cheeks! You don't know the hell I've been through!"  
  
"Uh-huh. It looks like real torture." Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, well, it took you heroes long enough to rescue me!"  
  
"Frankly, Lorne, we weren't aware you needed rescuing."  
  
"Weren't aware? I told Fred!"  
  
"When?" Fred asked.  
  
"Why, every time you called, I kept asking about Fluffy!"  
  
"Oh. I just thought you were using some show business catch phrase I wasn't hip enough to get. Who's Fluffy?"  
  
"Fluffy! Fluffy, the dog? The dog you don't have? The universally recognized code for 'I'm being held prisoner. Send help.'"  
  
"Oh. Okay. I'm hip now."  
  
"Who's holding you prisoner?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Oh, the creep who owns this place, Lee DeMarco. He used to be some second rate lounge magician until he got his hands on something legitimately mystical. Now he's a first rate psychopath and he's using me to destroy people's lives."  
  
"Using you how?"  
  
"Well, there's this game." 


	17. The House Always Wins part 2

Chapter 17  
  
Fred ran out of the room screaming and covering her face with her hands. "Oh, my god! It-it was horrible! He attacked us with these-these laser beams that shot out of his horns and he escaped! He took my friend and now he's gone!"  
  
"There is no other way out." One of the guards said.  
  
"Right. No. Because-cause he killed my friend and then went through some, some sort of-of demon metamorphosis thing. And, and he spit out his entire skeleton like-like-like blah! Like, like that! And then-and then he-he just slithered away! Down the drain! In the sink! In the bathroom! Hurry!"  
  
The first guard hurried into Lorne's room. The second one reported in on his radio before following. "Security one. We have a code green. Repeat, a code green!"  
  
As soon as both guards were through, Lorne, wearing a trench coat and Fedora, came out with Buffy behind him. The guards tried to grab them, but Buffy grabbed their heads and slammed them together.  
  
"Somebody wanna give me the low down?" Gunn asked, running up.  
  
"Later. Suffice it to say we're dead if we don't get our fannies out of Dodge." Lorne said.  
  
"Good enough."  
  
They ran down the hall, Buffy and Fred throwing off their horns.  
  
"We need more of the big guns. Where is Angel?" Lorne asked.  
  
"I don't know. He wandered off and then we wandered off too." Buffy said.  
  
"This is not good."  
  
Buffy and Fred grabbed tissues somewhere along the way and started to wipe their makeup off. Gunn spotted Angel sitting in front of a one armed slot machine. He pointed and they ran up to him.  
  
"Angel! Where have you been?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Here. I was there before. Now I'm here." Angel responded, pulling the lever and watching the pictures swirl.  
  
"Company is coming, kids, and I don't mean my aunt Ghurt." Lorne said.  
  
"Look, there is big bad going down. We got to get Lorne out of here. You think you can slow them down?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Ok." Angel put another coin in and pulled the lever.  
  
"Give me your car keys." Buffy said. Angel pulled the keys out of his pocket and handed them to Buffy, then inserted another quarter. "Hold them off as long as you can. I'll swing the car around, pick up at the end of the block, in front of the Nugget, okay?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Come on!"  
  
"Good luck."  
  
The gang hurried away as Angel moved to the machine next to the one he was on and inserted a quarter. A security guard came down the steps to intercept the gang. Buffy downed him with a single cross without ever breaking stride. The gang ended up outside on a crowded street, lit by hundreds of lights.  
  
"Where the hell are we?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Oh. Wrong exit. This is Glitter Gulch." Lorne said.  
  
"Which way is the car?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Um, I think it's back this.. Never mind." Fred said.  
  
A couple of security guards made their way through the crowd and the four of them huddled together. The guards passed through the crowd behind them.  
  
"Go." Buffy said. As they ran Buffy looked at Lorne. "You said this DeMarco guy is destroying lives. How?"  
  
"By taking them." Lorne said.  
  
"By killing people?" Gunn asked.  
  
"No, worse muchacho. He's been using me to read members of the audience, find those with what he calls 'valuable destinies': power, wealth, fame, yada, yada, yada. Then the ones I pick they get chosen to play this spin- to-win game. Only ah, it's not a game. It's a big scamola. Then their destinies are imprinted on the chips. And that old black magic wheel is tricked out to never pay off. The house always wins, and everybody loses. Their futures, their destinies, they get offered up to an extremely black global market, sold to anyone willing to pay big money to change his or her life."  
  
"Futures trading." Fred said.  
  
"Can't get any more literal than that, crumb cake."  
  
"What happens to them? Those people?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Uh, nothing. Nothing happens to them, or will. They got no purpose, direction, unable to accomplish or succeed at anything ever again. Most never leave here. Some never even get out of the casino. They just sit there shoveling coins into slot machines that never pay off. Like zombies or.."  
  
"Angel! They got him!"  
  
"Uh oh." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah, I'd say that's a pretty big oh-oh." Gunn said.  
  
"No. That uh-oh."  
  
Gunn looked where she was pointing and saw a group of guards moving towards them. He turned, but more guards were coming up behind them.  
  
"What now?" Fred asked.  
  
"Now we do that fighting for our lives thing that we do." Gunn said.  
  
"Yeah, or-or I do this." Lorne took a hold of a microphone and let out a high-pitched note. All around people ducked, covering their ears as all around light bulbs exploded, showering the street below with shards of glass. Lorne cut the note off and they ran, ending up by the Red Barn on Freemont.  
  
"That was brilliant, Lorne. I may never hear my upper registers again, but nice work." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah, great work. Like how you sold Angel out." Gunn said to Lorne.  
  
"Gunn.." Buffy said.  
  
"Why, DeMarco must have wet his pants when you told him what a ripe destiny that was for the pickings. A champion to save the world or destroy it?"  
  
"You really believe I'd do that?" Lorne asked.  
  
"I don't know Lorne. I don't know why you did any of it. Why, you were living so large, belting out Tony Bennett so loud in that sweet suite of yours, you couldn't hear your conscience screaming at you!"  
  
"Charles, it doesn't matter." Fred said.  
  
"It does to me! I wanna know Lorne. Why didn't you just say no to that piece of.."  
  
"I did!" Lorne said. "The first time he asked me to, of course I refused! So he blew a girl's brains out right in front of me. And he said that's what I could expect every time I said no."  
  
Gunn looked down and then after a beat, he said, "Sorry."  
  
"No more than I am, slick."  
  
"Can we stop with the macho play?" Buffy asked. "My husband is in trouble and I'd like to save him. Plus I need him to have a purpose, you know? He has a kid to think about. And.. and he has me and I don't think I could live with a guy that doesn't even respond to his wife in THIS kind of outfit."  
  
"Come on kitten. We're gonna get your soul man back." Lorne took Buffy's shoulders and together, the four of them found the car. Buffy jumped in the driver's seat and squealed off. They pulled up in front of the Tropicana and Buffy jumped out.  
  
"Okay. As soon as I find Angel I'm bringing him right out. Better leave the engine running in case there is a posse behind us." Buffy said.  
  
Gunn jumped in the driver's seat. "Be careful."  
  
Buffy waved and ran in to where Angel was last sitting. He was till there and Buffy walked up to him. "Angel." He looked up at her. "You.. you know who I am, right?"  
  
"Buffy." Angel said.  
  
"Right. And I'm your wife."  
  
"I know. I'm not stupid."  
  
"Yeah. Okay. Angel, sweetie, something's happened to you."  
  
"Ah. I got two cherries."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I got two cherries. If I get another one, I get my quarter back."  
  
Buffy grabbed Angel's shoulders and turned him towards her. "You can't. Angel, listen to me. There's been a casino heist. Only you're the heistee. They took your destiny. Now we've got to find a way to fix it. But until then we've got to get out of here."  
  
"Have to play to win."  
  
"Fine, you wanna win something?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then win this." Buffy grabbed Angel's arms and pulled them around her waist. "We're going now."  
  
"As a matter of fact you're not." Spencer, the guy that had forced Lorne to steal destinies, said.  
  
Buffy saw the head of security coming up, followed by Fred, Gunn, and Lorne, held between more guards. Buffy looked at Angel who had slipped from her grasp and sat back down.  
  
"Angel!?" Buffy asked, annoyed.  
  
He didn't say anything. All her did was stick another quarter in the machine. Two of the security guards came up and grabbed Buffy's arms. She tried to fight them off, but their grip on her arms was in such a way that she could barely budge against their massive bodies.  
  
"Don't even bother." Spencer said. "I know you're the Slayer and so do they. That's why they've got you in that hold. You can struggle all you want, but the more you do, the more your little arms are going to ache."  
  
"Bastard." Buffy spat.  
  
"Take them."  
  
The guards led Buffy and the others to a large room that looked like a mini Wall Street. Angel was left at the slot machine. A man, probably Lee from Lorne's description, stood as they all entered the room.  
  
"Lorne! I'm so relieved! I was afraid that something terrible might have happened to you. Missing your second show like that? All those poor disappointed people. All I could do was refund their money and comp their rooms for the inconvenience. And, my, my, what an inconvenience it was for all of us." Lee said.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Okay, Lee, okay. White flag's up. You got me. Grind your organ, I'll be your monkey. But you get nothing from me if you hurt anyone else. I swear it." Lorne said.  
  
"Lorne, sweetie, you worry too much. I promise you will be the only one hurting. Your friends will be dead so quickly they won't feel a thing." Lee started to walk away. "Take them out into the desert and shoot them. Bring the demon. I'd like him to watch."  
  
"Mr. DeMarco." Spencer said.  
  
"Not now, Spencer."  
  
"Sir, we have a winner."  
  
"That's impossible!" Lee looked up and saw Angel sitting at the flashing machine.  
  
"He's won a little over three hundred thousand dollars and a car."  
  
"Pretty good haul for somebody with no destiny, huh?" Lorne said.  
  
"What are you doing? You! You! Back on the phones!" Lee yelled at the people around him. "And bring me that vampire. Now!"  
  
A few minutes later, two guards ushered Angel into the back office.  
  
"Hi." Angel said.  
  
"I want answers. And they better be the right ones, or you're dead." Lee told Angel.  
  
"I know this room."  
  
Spencer hit Angel across the chin, making him drop the empty cup he was still holding. "Now. I'll start again. How did you win on that slot machine?"  
  
"I put a quarter in the slot and I pulled that little lever."  
  
"Are you playing games with me, vampire?"  
  
"I have to play to win."  
  
Lee stared at Angel who just looked back at him. "It was a fluke. A glitch in the machine. There is nothing there. Pay him his winnings in quarters and take the others on their desert tour."  
  
One of the guards prodded Gunn forward. When Gunn wasn't fast enough to move, the guard hit him and Gunn stumbled to the floor.  
  
"Leave him alone!" Fred yelled.  
  
The second guard pointed a gun at Fred's face. Angel, watching, suddenly morphed into his vamp face, batted the guard's gun hand away and grabbed a hold of the guy's throat.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy yelled.  
  
All over the office people jumped up from their desks as Gunn took advantage of the confusion to attack the guard on him. Spencer reached for Fred, but she punched him in the face while Gunn tossed his guard over his shoulder. Buffy used the hold that the guards had on her to put all her weight on her arms and kick upwards with both legs, slamming her toes into the guards' faces. They released her as they scrambled to cover their bleeding noses.  
  
"What am I paying you people for? Shoot them!" Lee shouted.  
  
The guard Angel was wrestling with pulled the trigger of his gun. The bullet ended up hitting Spencer in the neck. Lorne knocked down a guard and took the baton away from him, then set his sights on the glowing sphere presiding over the destiny chips. Lee ran over to interpose himself between Lorne and the sphere.  
  
"No, no, no, no! Don't! Maybe I went about this wrong! We can still come to terms, right, kid? I mean, it wasn't all bad here, right? I mean, not all the time? What's it gonna take? A bigger suite? Fewer shows? You got it! What-what do you say?" Lee said.  
  
"Duck." Lorne said.  
  
Lorne pulled the baton back to smash the chips and Lee screamed as the baton connected and smashed the sphere. The sphere exploded with a bright light. Lee was knocked to the floor, looking slightly scorched. Lorne stumbled backward and Gunn and Buffy caught him before he fell. Bright streamers of colored light shot from the remains of the sphere. One of the streams hit Angel in the back and he turned to Buffy as she rushed over to see if he was ok.  
  
"This room. There is something familiar." He said.  
  
"Angel?" Buffy asked.  
  
"You're my wife. I know. I'm not stupid." He grinned and Buffy squealed, throwing herself into his arms. He hugged her tightly and kissed her curled hair. As he put her down, he realized the outfit she was wearing and the comment she had made to him earlier. "Hey Buffy?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Keep that outfit. My play to win craving has just come back up.. a lot."  
  
Buffy laughed and took his hand. They all walked out of the office area and headed back out into the main casino. Angel still looked around, looking as if he was trying to figure something out. Then it hit him.  
  
"Oh, now I remember that room! Elvis and Pricilla's wedding reception, 1967. Yes! All right. It's not like I was, you know, really invited. They just put me near the dais." Angel said. "I think somebody thought I was in the band. Probably because I was all drunk and sourly. They had these little fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches."  
  
"Ew!" Buffy said. "Doesn't sound very good to me. But I'll leave the banana comment alone."  
  
They left the Tropicana and jumped into the car. Angel drove to the hotel and they checked out that night. They drove home and ended up back the next afternoon. Angel and Buffy had planned on going back home after dropping Gunn, Lorne, and Fred off, but they had convinced the two to stay for a little while.  
  
"Okay. No more road trips for at least six months." Gunn said.  
  
"I guess anniversaries are just as sucky as birthdays with me." Buffy said.  
  
"We'll get it right. Besides, it wasn't really our anniversary. Just an early get away for it." Angel said.  
  
"I can't wait for a nice hot bath." Fred said.  
  
"Angel, how did you win? I never got around to asking you." Buffy said.  
  
"It still doesn't make any sense." Angel said.  
  
"Well, maybe DeMarco was right. Glitch in the machine." Gunn said.  
  
"Or maybe Lady Luck was smiling down on you." Lorne said.  
  
"Hmm. Lady Luck. I don't know. Just, I don't get why or how I was able to fight when I had no reason to, no destiny." Angel said.  
  
"Well, even without a flight plan, bucko, you are still a stealth bomber. You were fighting for your friends' futures. The people you love are part of your destiny, and nobody can take that away, not even you. Ah, listen, I have a lot more insightful bon mots like that, but I've been stuck in the car for five and a half hours and I got to pee. Excuse me." Lorne ran ahead of them and into the hotel.  
  
Buffy chuckled and took Angel's hand. "I've always provoked some interesting things from you." She whispered in his ear. Angel smiled.  
  
"Hey. About that bath idea: maybe I can help you with one or two of those hard to reach spots." Gunn said to Fred.  
  
"Or three." Fred replied.  
  
"Hmm."  
  
"Sounds like fun." Angel said, eyeing Buffy. She was back in her regular clothes, but Angel had insisted on keeping the outfit so it was tucked away in their suitcase.  
  
Buffy and Angel got in first and stopped dead in their tracks. Gunn walked in saying, "Okay, but three is where I draw the.." He cut off when he nearly ran into Buffy.  
  
Fred and Gunn stopped beside Angel and Buffy. All four of them stared at Cordy, dressed in a flowing white outfit, standing in the middle of the lobby with her back to them.  
  
"Cordelia?" Buffy asked.  
  
She turned around and stared at them. "Who are you people?" 


	18. Slouching Toward Bethlehem part 1

Chapter 18  
  
"Oh my God! It's you. You're back." Buffy said, moving towards Cordy. Cordelia backed away. "Don't you remember? Buffy. That's Angel."  
  
Angel looked back at Gunn and Fred. "Um, you see her too, right? We're not just.."  
  
"No, man, it's real." Gunn said.  
  
"It's ok. We're friends. You know us. Fred. Gunn. You're dazed or something. Thank God you're back." Buffy said.  
  
"So we know each other?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Yeah, really well."  
  
"Ok, um.. who am I?"  
  
"What do you remember?" Angel asked.  
  
"I don't know. Numbers. Animals. Flossing."  
  
"But not us."  
  
"Or me. I don't remember me."  
  
"You're Cordelia Chase. You work here. With us. You've been gone for a while, but you're safe now." Angel stepped toward her, but she stepped back. "It's ok. We-we're friends. We're here to help you."  
  
"I've been gone?"  
  
"What's important is that you're back." Buffy said.  
  
"Are there other people here?"  
  
"Um, not to sound all 'Movie of the Week', but I think you might have some kind of amnesia. Like maybe you fell or banged your head." Fred said.  
  
"Should we take her to a hospital?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Hospital? I don't need a.. Not yet, maybe later." Cordy said.  
  
"I don't think seeing a doctor will solve her problems." Fred whispered to Buffy.  
  
Angel looked over at the door and saw Lorne coming towards the doors. "Neither will seeing green."  
  
Buffy got the hint and turned to Cordy. "You wanna know what might help you remember? Seeing some of your things." Buffy turned to Gunn. "You wanna check for her things out in the garden?"  
  
"Checking away." Gunn left and shooed Lorne back into the garden.  
  
"Hey, Fred. You wanna help me look in the office?" Angel asked.  
  
"Sure." Fred said. "Excuse us."  
  
"I'll stay here. You know, talk to her." Buffy said.  
  
Angel and Fred went into the office and Buffy turned to Cordy. "So, um.. Is there anything else you remember? How you got here maybe?"  
  
"Nothing. None of you seem familiar at all." Cordy said.  
  
"We'll take you up to your room as soon as everyone finds some of your stuff." Cordy looked over at the window where Angel and Fred were staring at her. They waved. "Ok, that's creepy." She said. Then she noticed the double bladed axe lying on the floor. "So's that."  
  
Buffy looked down, eyes wide, and shoved the axe under the couch with her foot. "Hobby."  
  
Angel came out of the office. "Couldn't really find anything of yours in the office."  
  
"That's ok." Cordy said as the phone rang. "Shouldn't someone answer that?"  
  
"The machine'll get it. You really don't have to be afraid."  
  
"Easy for you to say. I don't know that. Don't know you, this place.." Cordy was cut off by her voice on the answering machine.  
  
"Hi. You've reached Angel Investigations. We can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave your name and number, we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks! And wait for the beep." There was a beep.  
  
Cordy moved forward and stared at the phone. "But that voice.. Oh, my God! It's me. I work here."  
  
"Uh, yeah, this is Murray, down at the spa. Listen, it's after midnight, and uh, you better get down here. That demon broad came back. Looks like she's gonna try and hatch her blood-sucking little.."  
  
Angel coughed and Fred picked up the phone. "We're here. Uh-huh. Ok. We'll be right there."  
  
"Did he say demon broad?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Yeah. His, um, wife. It's an ugly divorce case thing. You know, private eye stuff." Fred said. "I should get Charles and terminate it before the situation multiplies."  
  
"Ok. I'll just stay here and help Cordelia settle in." Buffy said.  
  
"Ok." Fred ran out to get Gunn.  
  
Angel stayed behind. "They don't really need me to help them out."  
  
"Yeah." Buffy turned to Cordy. "So.."  
  
"I wanna go home. Know where I live?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Well, um.. You live here now. You had an apartment, but it.. You.. were gone so long that they sort of.. Evicted you."  
  
"Where do I live now?"  
  
"You live here." Buffy gently took Cordelia's arm and led her towards the stairs. They walked up to the room Gunn and Fred had moved Cordy's stuff into.  
  
Cordy walked in and looked at all the boxes. "This is it? Everything?"  
  
"Fred and Gunn, they moved everything over from your old apartment after you.." Buffy said. Cordy picked up a strappy shoe from one of the boxes.  
  
"You remember that? You wore it when we went to the ballet." Angel asked.  
  
"The ballet? For real? You and me?" Cordy asked.  
  
"We ALL went, but yeah." Buffy said a little possessively. "Pretty special. I thought maybe you'd remember because I was.. It's too bad. We had, uh, a really good time. Working together too."  
  
"I wish I could remember."  
  
"Me too. I wanna help you get those memories back. You're one of my best friends."  
  
"Great. But not tonight."  
  
"I-I understand. If you need any.."  
  
"I will."  
  
"You really are among friends." Angel said as he and Buffy backed out the door. They walked to their room and opened the door. He watched Buffy as she walked to the bed and lay down exhaustedly. Angel sat down beside her and rubbed her leg. "How you doing champ?"  
  
"I'll be better once we figure out what's going on with Cordelia." Buffy sat up. "Why now? A-a-and why without a memory? It's weird."  
  
"Yeah. It is."  
  
Buffy lay back down. "There goes bath time fun."  
  
Angel lay beside her. "Yeah. Damn it."  
  
  
  
"Are you sure we should just leave without leaving Mom and Dad a note?" Conner asked.  
  
"They're in Vegas! How will they know?" Dawn asked.  
  
"They're mom and dad. They'll know."  
  
"If they get a vacation, so do we. I don't want to be stuck in Sunnyhell all week."  
  
"Dawnster's got a point." Xander said.  
  
"So? I just don't want to get in trouble. Mom and Dad have super powers. Not something I want to toy with." Conner said.  
  
"So do you. If anything, you're twice as strong as they are. You're their kid." Dawn said.  
  
"Dawn, can we just drop this? It doesn't feel right. Something's off."  
  
"Nothing's off. You've been pampered ever since you got back. You're a mama's boy!"  
  
"I am not!"  
  
"Prove it! You're always hanging with Buffy."  
  
"She's the Slayer. She's my mom. She teaches me stuff. Slayer stuff. I love her. Nothing wrong with that."  
  
"Whipped!"  
  
"You're whipped!"  
  
"Guys, cut it out! Geez!" Willow said.  
  
"Sorry." Conner said.  
  
Dawn leaned over to whisper, "Whipped."  
  
Conner sat back and stared out the window. He saw a van parked on the side of the road and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Uncle Xander, stop the car."  
  
"What? Why?" Xander asked.  
  
"Spider senses." Xander stopped and Conner jumped out. "Stay here. I'll be back soon." Conner walked towards the van silently.  
  
"Your father's just trying to get us home." The woman in the passenger seat said.  
  
Conner looked into the back window and saw a teenager a little younger than him sitting there. "You ok?" Conner asked.  
  
"Dad?" the teen asked.  
  
"Can I help you?" the dad asked, walking up to Conner.  
  
"You're in trouble." Conner said.  
  
"No, we're fine."  
  
"I like your hat." Conner said to the teen.  
  
There was a noise of an approaching vehicle from behind them, and the dad turned to look. When he turned back, Conner had disappeared into the shadows. A tow truck with yellow flashing lights pulled up in front of the car, but there was something off. They were driving like maniacs and blaring rock music. They got out of the car, and the dad turned to talk to them.  
  
"Hey, you guys are just in time. Not sure if we needed a jump or a tow."  
  
"I vote jump." The vamp from the tow truck said.  
  
The vampire lunged for the dad and attacked him while his cohort went for the mom and teen in the car. The mom saw him coming and locked the door, so the vampire beat on the window, trying to smash it in. The vampire was still punching the dad outside, and the vampire who had went for Mom had broken through the glass, grabbing her. She screamed, but then the vampire turned to dust in front of her eyes. After the dust cleared, Conner was standing there, pulling his stake back.  
  
"You ok?" Conner asked.  
  
"Uh-huh." The mom said.  
  
Conner reached inside and punched the cigarette lighter in. Then he went to help the dad fight the vampire attacking him. Conner grabbed a container full of gas and beat the vampire with it, spilling gas all over it. The he ran back to the car, grabbed the hot cigarette lighter, and tossed it to the vampire.  
  
"Hey." Conner tossed the lighter to vampire, who ignited and explodes. Conner turned to the dad. "Is that your family?"  
  
"Dad!" the teen yelled.  
  
The dad went back to the van, not even thanking Conner for the help. Conner huffed and walked back to Xander and the others. He got in and slammed the door.  
  
"Crap! That was retarded! I just saved them and all I got was a walking away!" Conner said.  
  
"Sometimes you just get that sweetie." Willow said.  
  
"People suck."  
  
"Yup."  
  
Xander started the car and headed towards the Hyperion.  
  
  
  
"Angel, would you hurry up?" Buffy asked. "She might come down and see you!"  
  
"I'm hurrying." Angel said, grabbing a bunch of jars in his arms.  
  
"Here she comes!"  
  
Angel ran into the office with Buffy as Cordy came into the lobby.  
  
"Hello?" Cordy called. "Somebody down here?" She went downstairs to the counter and saw something on the counter where the jars were. She touched it. "Hello?"  
  
Angel and Buffy ran out of the room quietly as Cordy had her back turned. They practically dived into the basement and stumbled down the steps. Angel started to put the jars of blood in the large refrigerator.  
  
"I'm going back up. She knows something's up." Buffy said.  
  
"She doesn't know. We're doing pretty good keeping it from her." Angel said, turning to Buffy who was half way up the stairs.  
  
"I don't know. I'll feel better once she's, you know, Cordy again." Buffy walked up the last few steps and into the lobby. As she walked in, Cordy jumped up from behind the counter and started to back away from Fred and Gunn who had demon blood dripping from them.  
  
"It's ok, Cordelia." Fred said.  
  
Cordy backed away, hit the weapons cabinet, which made the weapons fall and Cordy scream, and then she started to run. Angel came from behind Buffy and grabbed Cordy.  
  
"I can explain." Angel said.  
  
Cordy recoiled and ran out into the garden. As soon as she was out, Wolfram and Hart ops attacked her. Buffy and Angel burst through the doors and started to kick their asses and then Cordy joined in. As soon as they were all dispatched, Cordy turned and stared at the small gang.  
  
"Wow. How did I..?" Cordy said. "I am a spy. I get it now. You're all spies. Probably all Russian. And you've brainwashed me, and want me to believe we're friends so I'll spill the beans about some nano-techno-thingy that you want."  
  
"So.. I look Russian to you?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Black Russian."  
  
"That's a drink. Right?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Says the head spy."  
  
"Nobody here is a spy." Angel said. "Those two guys are lawyers.. weird as that may seem.. from Wolfram and Hart. They must know you're back. We'll have to keep her in the hotel so she's safe."  
  
"Safe? Is that some kind of joke? Your friends here were just talking about murdering children. And there's-there's-there's singing and blood and-and pointy things. And did I mention the singing? I mean, what the hell is going on here, Bunny?"  
  
"Buffy." Buffy corrected.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"I know things seem weird. Maybe even scary. But you have to believe me when I tell you we're trying to do everything we can to help you get through this. The Cordelia that we know, the person who you're trying to remember, is very much at home here, bizarre as that may seem. So I ask you to look inside, to believe me when I tell you that you're safe and you're among friends who only want the best for you."  
  
"I believe you."  
  
"You do? Of course you do!" Buffy sighed and looked around a bit. "Hey! Let's get you back up to your room and check out some of your stuff. Huh?"  
  
"Yeah, ok."  
  
Buffy and Angel led Cordy back up to Cordy's room. Cordy walked over and sat on the bed. Angel stood in the doorway while Buffy paged through the old Sunnydale Yearbook.  
  
"Fun times." Buffy said. "Hehe! I remember this!"  
  
"What?" Cordy asked.  
  
"This." Buffy took the book to Cordy and showed her a picture taped to one of the pages of her and Cordy. "We took this when we were 17. Homecoming. That was a mess."  
  
"What happened to my dress?"  
  
"We were.. We were in an accident. But of course, we made it through.. Just in time to find out that we were both runners up for Homecoming Queen."  
  
"Runners up?"  
  
"Yeah. You pissed me off by not telling me about school pictures and then you said something stupid about me and then I ran against you for Queen. We both lost to Holly Charleston and Michelle Blake. Of all people!"  
  
"So, I'm not a spy?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Am I a mom?"  
  
"What?" Cordy bent over and picked a picture up out of a box. Buffy took it and stared at it, small tears forming in her eyes. "That's my son. That's mine and Angel's baby boy, Conner."  
  
"So, we weren't a happy family?" Cordy asked Angel.  
  
"Not like that." Angel said.  
  
"And you and me? We weren't.."  
  
"No, Buffy's my wife."  
  
"I'm I a nun?"  
  
"A what?" Buffy and Angel asked together.  
  
"Were we not a happy family because I was a nun?" Cordy reached over to a box next to her. "I was going through my stuff," She grabbed a handful of rosaries," and I found all these."  
  
Cordelia put numerous rosaries adorned with crucifixes in Angel's hands, causing him to vamp out uncontrollably. He growled, and she screamed. Cordelia ran out of her room and down the hallway frantically escaping vamped-out Angel. She ended up in the lobby and ran into Lorne. They fell down, with him on top of her. They were face to face. When each realized who/what they were looking at, they both screamed. Cordelia started beating on Lorne's chest and pushed him off.  
  
"Get off me." Cordy cried.  
  
"I'm getting. I'm getting. Just stop the clobbering." Lorne said.  
  
Buffy and Angel ran in to the lobby, and Angel grabbed Cordelia. "Cordelia, stop. Stop. It's ok. It's ok. He's with us."  
  
"Hey, if this was about that missing lingerie, that was for a friend."  
  
"Tell me that this is Halloween, and he isn't what I think he is." Cordy said.  
  
"Tick or Treat."  
  
"Don't you remember Lorne? You two are old buddies." Fred said, she and Gunn walking up to Lorne.  
  
"Yeah, you, uh, wanna know why we call him Lorne?" Gunn asked.  
  
"What I want is answers, and I want 'em now, mister!" Cordy said.  
  
"Ok. Maybe we haven't been a hundred percent honest because, well, we were afraid the truth would scare you." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah, and the lying and deceit have been so comforting."  
  
"You're right. Our bad. I think it's time we came clean. About everything." Buffy said.  
  
  
  
"That's.. everything?" Cordelia sighed. "It all makes perfect sense now. I was a cheerleader, a princess, and a warrior. And I have visions and super powers and I'm the target of an evil law firm because I've spent the last three months living on a higher plane, fighting for the forces of good, who wage a battle against demons and evilies and squishy bug babies, cause all that stuff's real and that's the world I live in. And I think I know why I don't remember any of this 'cause, hey.. who'd want to!"  
  
"Um, sea breeze?" Lorne offered.  
  
"I know it's a lot to take in." Angel said.  
  
"Says the vampire with a soul, the Vampire Slayer Wife, and his wacky gang of sidekicks."  
  
"Um, not a sidekick." Gunn said.  
  
"I think there's a way we might be able to sort this out. Pick a song." Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah.. What?" Cordy asked.  
  
"So Lorne can read you."  
  
"You sing, he sees your future." Angel said.  
  
"Hopefully he'll be able to explain what's happened and how we can get your memory back."  
  
"I can't just sing. I-I don't even know if I'm even musical. Am I?" Cordy asked.  
  
Buffy looked away and up at Angel. Gunn was the one to speak first. "Sure? You remember any songs?"  
  
"W-well, there's so many. How do I pick?"  
  
"It doesn't really matter. I'm kinda a ballad man myself, but, uh.. just pick anything." Angel said.  
  
Cordy sighed and then started. "Because the greatest love of all is happening to me. I've found the greatest love of all inside of me. The greatest love of all is easy to achieve. Learning to love yourself.."  
  
"Does he look a little green to you.. I mean, more than usual?" Fred whispered to Gunn.  
  
"Uh, great, enough. Ok! You were great." Lorne said, backing towards the door. "You were great. E-everything's great. We're all just, uh.. I see, uh, a very, very, um.." Lorne left.  
  
"Was I really that bad?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Wasn't you. It was.. the song. It reminds him of.. um.."Angel tried, but he and Buffy left the room before he could finish.  
  
"Oh, come on! You guys aren't even good liars. This is ridiculous." Cordy called after them.  
  
Buffy and Angel went to Lorne's room and knocked. Lorne called back for them to go away. Buffy knocked again and called, "Lorne. Talk to us. What'd you see?"  
  
"Go away." Lorne called again.  
  
"If it's that bad, we need to know."  
  
Lorne opened the door. "It's that bad. G'night." Lorne tried to shut the door, but Angel stopped him.  
  
"I need details." Angel said.  
  
"I got none. Just a splitting migraine, a tummy full of rattlesnakes, and a strong suspicion I'm gonna lose my lunch again if I don't start drinking myself silly." Lorne tried to shut the door again and Angel stopped him, again.  
  
"C'mon, Lorne. You gotta give us something."  
  
"Do the words 'slouching towards Bethlehem' ring a bell? Or how about despair, torment, terror? And I'm not referring to little missy's choice of song, either, although that was horrifying in its own right. What I saw was jumbled. It was pieces, flashes. It was enough to make my skin crawl away and scamper under the bed. Evil's coming, kiddies, and it's planning on staying."  
  
"Does this have anything to do with that bad thing in Sunnydale? You know, 'from beneath you it devours?'"  
  
"Blondie gal, I have no clue." With that, Lorne slammed the door shut.  
  
  
  
Xander walked into the Hyperion's lobby. It was empty, but the lights were on. He guessed that Fred and Gunn weren't able to go. He had dropped Willow, Conner, and Dawn off at Hank's place, Buffy and Dawn's dad. Xander had come by here to see if he could barrow one of Angel's shirts for a night on the town. Just as he stepped into the middle of the lobby, a hideous drooling demon guy jumped from the second story. A woman screamed behind him and Xander turned.  
  
"Cordelia!" Xander cried.  
  
The demon behind him shoved into him and knocked Xander into Cordy. Before Xander could stop himself, he stood back up and punched the demon hard. The demon reeled back and went to punch Xander, but he blocked it and grabbed the dagger out of his jacket pocket. With one swing, Xander had the dagger embedded in the demon's chest.  
  
He turned to Cordy. "Are you ok?"  
  
"Can you get me out of here?" she asked.  
  
"Sure." Xander took Cordy's hand and ran out. 


	19. Slouching Toward Bethlehem part 2

Chapter 19  
  
"How could you let her wander off alone?" Angel asked. He, Buffy, Fred, and Gunn all stood around the corpse of the dead demon lying in the middle of the lobby.  
  
"The words 'grown woman' come to mind." Fred said.  
  
"And the gal does have a history of whooping ass. I mean, you saw the hurting she put on those Wolfram and Hart dudes. And could she really turn me into a rat?" Gunn asked.  
  
"What if Wolfram and Hart came back?" Buffy asked. "What if there were hundreds of those things? What if this is the way it starts? I mean, the slouching and the Bethlehem. And they've taken her because of what she knows.. even if she can't remember she knows it."  
  
"Have you been drinking bad beer again, or is there something you're not telling us?" Fred asked.  
  
"Oh, there's a something, but this isn't it. That was just a client of mine who had a fatal habit of snacking on humans." Lorne said, walking into the room.  
  
"And you let it in here with Cordy?" Angel asked.  
  
"Hello, back to the something. Is that why you ran out while Cordelia was singing?" Fred asked.  
  
"Well, A: I wasn't running, I was fleeing, and B: Yes." Lorne said.  
  
"Well, how horrible is this thing?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Well, I haven't read the Book of Revelations lately, but if I was searching for adjectives, I'd probably start there."  
  
"Was that all you saw?" Fred asked.  
  
"That was the tip of the 'berg, pumpkin nut. What I got from Cordy was dense. A big, fat, tummy-clinching onion from hell. The more layers you peel, the more you cry. Or vomit, in this case. But I tell ya, this is one itch daddy's done a-scratching."  
  
"Look, we got to get Cordelia before.. We have to find her. She's out there, alone. No memory. Probably terrified." Angel said.  
  
"Maybe." Buffy said as they all headed out.  
  
  
  
"I gotta ask, why were you at the hotel? You live there?" Cordy asked from the passenger seat. She and Xander were parked on a bluff overlooking the ocean.  
  
Xander shook his head. "No. I live in Sunnydale. You know that."  
  
"Actually, I don't. I don't know much of anything, or anyone for that matter."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Well, apparently I've been gone for three months. In some dimension is what they said. I've been going through some of my stuff, but I don't remember anything."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"I think I remember seeing your picture. Did you go to Sunnydale High School with me?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So, we know each other? We're friends?"  
  
"We, uh, we were involved for a while."  
  
"We were?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Are we still together?"  
  
"No. I was with this girl named Anya. I met her because of you."  
  
"Was?"  
  
"We were engaged to get married, but I left her.. At the alter."  
  
"Why would you do that? Didn't you love her?"  
  
"I did.. do. But I didn't think she deserved me and I blew my chance with the woman I love. Well, one of them."  
  
"Who's the other?"  
  
"You were. Even though you can't remember how much fun we had together, I wanted to tell you that I did love you. When I found out you were gone, all I could think was how I never told you that I had loved you. Maybe even still do."  
  
"That's sweet. Did I love you?"  
  
"I think you did."  
  
"Why did we break up?"  
  
"Willow."  
  
"Who's that?"  
  
"My best friend since forever. I had never noticed her before and then one day I looked at her and I was attracted completely. Well, Spike, he's a vampire that has a whole longer story to tell, captured Willow and I and made Willow, who is a witch, do a love spell. Well, our emotions got the best of us, what with the thinking we were going to die and all, and we started to kiss. That was when you and Oz, Willow's then boyfriend, walked in. You got angry and ran out, but the stairs weren't stable and you fell through.. Right onto a support bar. It stabbed right through you."  
  
Cordy lifted her shirt to reveal her stomach. "Is that what this scar is?"  
  
Xander looked over and placed a hand on the scar. "Yeah. Yeah, that's why."  
  
"You seem like a sweet guy."  
  
"Thank you. If it's any consolation, I'm still really sorry."  
  
"Thanks. I forgive you."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"What about the others? You friends with them?"  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Buffy, Angel, Fred, and Gunn."  
  
"They're back?"  
  
"Yeah. I mean, I guess. I just got here and there they came through the door."  
  
"Huh. I figured they would have called and told us you were back." Xander sighed. "So like Buffy. Just deject herself from everyone but Angel."  
  
"She loves him. I can tell by the way they're always together and the way they look at each other."  
  
"Yeah. They've been that way for almost seven years now."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Pretty much."  
  
"Where's their baby?"  
  
"Baby!? He's not a baby anymore!"  
  
"Those pictures didn't look that old. And Buffy doesn't look older than me. She graduated with us."  
  
"Yeah. Conner got taken when he was about eight months by this ass named Holtz. The boy came back less than a week later and he was 16."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Hell dimensions. Gotta love the time there. Go for a week, come back and your 16 years older. Well, depending on the hell dimension. Angel was in one for four months and that was the equivalent to a few hundred years of torment and torture."  
  
"You're the first person who's been straight with me. You told me the truth." Cordy touched Xander's hand. "Means a lot."  
  
"I'm glad. Cause four years ago, you'd've smacked me."  
  
"You want me to?"  
  
"Nah."  
  
"I'm so scared."  
  
"You're safe. Trust me."  
  
"Then why am I so scared? I'm trying to remember little things. Do I have brothers and sisters? What's my favorite food? Who was my first kiss? There's nothing there. Just an empty.. Do you know how lonely that makes me feel?"  
  
"You love shoes. And donuts. You hate to research. No, you don't have any brothers or sisters. Your first kiss: I have no clue. You were sort of a player back in the day. And you're very brave."  
  
"Really? Donuts?"  
  
"And, you're brave."  
  
"When was I brave?"  
  
"Now. Tonight. You lost everything and you're still strong."  
  
"I have this horrible feeling that something bad is going to happen. Or maybe has happened. And I can't remember it. And I don't know what to do, or who to trust, except you. I don't know why, but I trust you." Xander looked down. "What?"  
  
"Well, that bad feeling you have: could be something happening in Sunnydale."  
  
"What?"  
  
"'From beneath you it devours.'"  
  
  
  
"She's gotta be somewhere close." Fred said, looking over the map of LA.  
  
"Then Buffy and Angel will find her." Gunn said.  
  
"What if she's not on her own? What if she's been taken, or.."  
  
"She's out there somewhere."  
  
Angel walked in, Buffy behind him. "Nothing." Angel said. "We're gonna have to widen the search. All hospitals, police stations. She couldn't have just disappeared. Ok, once. But not again. Somebody has to know where Cordelia is."  
  
"I do." Wesley said behind them. Everyone turned to look at him. "A bit careless, misplacing her after all the effort to find her."  
  
"We didn't find her, she just sort of.. showed up. With no memory, no idea who she is or where she's been." Buffy said.  
  
"Fresh start. Doesn't sound so bad."  
  
"What do you know?"  
  
"Wolfram and Hart are planning to extract her."  
  
"Already tried."  
  
"They'll try again. She might have spent time with the Powers That Be. Wolfram and Hart will consider her valuable. And I doubt Xander will be able to stop them."  
  
"She's with Xander? You have that on good authority?" Angel asked.  
  
"You don't seem too concerned."  
  
"Xander's our friend. He's Cordy's friend. I'm sure he's taking excellent care of her." Buffy said. Wesley nodded. "Ok guys, we're going to Sunnydale."  
  
"They're not in Sunnydale."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He's here. Along with your son, Willow, and Dawn."  
  
"What? Why are they here?"  
  
"Lilah's sources say that they're staying at your father's house. Vacation time."  
  
"My dad?"  
  
"They've had him under surveillance for quite some time now. He's there watching a movie with Conner and the others."  
  
"Where's Xander?"  
  
"He's on a bluff. The very same one that you and Angel were supposed to meet on."  
  
Buffy ran out, Angel, Gunn, and Fred following fast. She jumped in the driver's seat and barely waited for the rest of them to get in before she peeled out. By the time they made it to the bluff, Xander and Cordy were fighting hard. Buffy, Angel, Gunn, and Fred jumped out and joined in. One of the ops had grabbed a woozy Cordelia and was trying to cart her off. Angel kicked down the man and took Cordelia in his arms.  
  
"Hey." Angel laid Cordy down near Fred and went to help Buffy and Gunn out.  
  
Xander was leaning against his car and breathing heavy. Buffy had two of the ops by the arms and she slammed them together like cymbals. They went down hard, Buffy smiling at herself. Gunn kicked one of the ops towards Buffy and she flipped the guy over her head. Then, all the ops stopped and started to run off.  
  
"That's right, monkey boys. Don't mess with the big dog! It's better than sidekick." Gunn said.  
  
"Did they hurt you? Are you ok?" Angel asked Cordy.  
  
"Yeah, I'm ok." Cordy said.  
  
"I didn't expect so many." Xander said. "I didn't expect any at all."  
  
"You tried. I appreciate it." Buffy said.  
  
"We should probably get you back home." Angel said to Cordy.  
  
"Actually, I'd like to stay with Xander." Cordy said, moving to Xander's side.  
  
"I don't think that's the best idea. Xander's a great fighter. But you need more than just muscle right now."  
  
"You're right. I need someone who won't lie to me.. like you did. All of you, I know you were trying to help, but the truth is the only way to do that, and that's what Xander's given to me."  
  
"Keep her safe." Angel said, walking towards the car.  
  
Buffy walked up to Xander and handed him a key. "I figured this would happen. You're the one who could bring out the cool Cordy we all knew and love."  
  
"What's this?" Xander asked.  
  
"It's the key to my dad's condo in Santa Monica. Take Cordy there. I don't think that Wolfram and Hart know about it. I'm probably wrong though."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Anytime." Buffy walked away and got in the passenger's seat of the convertible. 


	20. Supersymmetry part 1

Chapter 20  
  
Buffy turned and put the mug of coffee she was holding onto the tray. Angel had made some food while Buffy had made the coffee. Another scream rang out and Buffy rolled her eyes with a smile. Fred had received a copy of some science magazine that had printed her work.  
  
"You ready?" Angel asked.  
  
Buffy grabbed the sea breeze and followed Angel up to Lorne's room. When they had arrived at the Hyperion the night before, Lorne had been tied, gagged, and a hole had been driven into his skull to get the info about Cordelia out of Lorne's head. Buffy opened the door to Lorne's room and walked in.  
  
"Here you go." Angel said, putting the tray down in front of Lorne.  
  
"How's your head?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Smashing. Listen. I know I've been a wee bit jumpy the last couple of days, but did I hear a scream?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Oh, it's just Fred. I think it's a Texas thing." Angel said.  
  
"Well, it's all too much Sturm and Drang for my appetite. Cordelia shacking up with your friend Xander and the hole between my horns."  
  
"And you're probably a little on edge because of the whole 'slouching towards Bethlehem' thing."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No? That's good, because.."  
  
"Sorry. I jumped ahead. That 'no' was the one that comes after you asking me to read Cordy again."  
  
"I wasn't going to ask you that immediately. I was gonna build up to it subtly."  
  
"I appreciate that, sugar pie, really, but the answer is no. I'm not a champion. I'm just a regular, old Karaoke-singing empath demon."  
  
"You saw something. If we knew what it was.."  
  
"Wolfram and Hart would come after me again. And maybe they wouldn't stop with a little gray matter."  
  
Angel turned away and walked to the door. "I'm listening."  
  
"Hey, death just doesn't look good on me. I wish I could tell you what was coming and when, but.. When you say 'listening' you don't mean to me. You heard something, didn't you?"  
  
"It's probably just Fred."  
  
Lorne fumbled a small ax out from under the blanket covering him. Angel walked out into the hall, Buffy going after him. They walked down to the second story and looked over the railing into the lobby. Xander stood there looking around. Buffy giggled slightly at the look on his face.  
  
"Xander." Buffy said.  
  
Xander jumped and turned to look up at them. "Buffy! Don't do that. It's fatal sometimes to sneak up on people."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Cordy wanted some of her stuff."  
  
"How is she doing? Anything coming back to her?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Is she alone right now? Because.." Angel started.  
  
"She's safe. Don't worry guys. I can take care of Cordy."  
  
"I trust you Xander." Buffy said. "Come on. Cordy's things are up here."  
  
Xander followed Buffy into Cordy's room and took the box that Angel handed him. Xander grabbed a few shirts and a couple pairs of pants.  
  
"Thanks guys. She'll appreciate it."  
  
"Wait! You should take her fuzzy slippers. Her feet get cold." Angel put the white slippers in Xander's box.  
  
"I know. She's always stealing the covers."  
  
"You two are sleeping together?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. Not in the way you think."  
  
"I didn't mean.."  
  
"Chill Buff, I know."  
  
"Good. I don't want her all confused about stuff."  
  
"Where's Willow, Conner, and Dawn?"  
  
"Sleeping."  
  
"You know, I feel kind of bad that we left Faith and Spike alone to take care of Sunnydale."  
  
"They'll handle it. Faith's not with Spike right now, but she still loves him enough to take care of him. She's wounded and it's going to take some time for her to come around."  
  
"Maybe I should call." Xander said, stopping at the lobby doors.  
  
"Nah. You take care of Cordy. We'll be here if you guys need anything."  
  
"Later Buff. Angel." Xander left.  
  
Angel sighed and Buffy got the hint. "Angel, Cordelia's fine with Xander. He won't let anything happen to her."  
  
"I know." Angel said.  
  
"Come on. I know what'll take your mind off all this."  
  
"What?" Angel pulled Buffy to him tight.  
  
"I think you're getting the idea." Buffy squealed as Angel swept her off her feet and walked up to their room.  
  
  
  
"You don't wanna go in there." Gunn said as Buffy and Angel walked past him on the settee. "The girl kept me up all night. She is un-stoppable."  
  
"More than I need to know." Angel said.  
  
Fred spotted Angel and Buffy and ran out to talk to them. "Did Charles tell you?"  
  
"He-he didn't describe it."  
  
"I've been asked to present my article at the physics institute! P- dimensional subspace has always been a fascinating area, but I had no idea there would be so much interest. Can I practice my speech for you guys? I think Lorne's a little conked."  
  
"That all night. Well, mostly that." Gunn said, watching Fred run back into the office with Buffy.  
  
"I didn't know Fred was getting back into physics." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah. I don't think she wanted anyone to know. Think she was afraid she lost the knack."  
  
"Hmm. She seems over that." Angel followed Buffy into the office and sat down between Lorne and Willow. Buffy laid across Angel's lap and rested her head on his shoulder. Conner and Dawn were up in Conner's room playing some video game.  
  
"It's nothing big, really. Just a little breakthrough in quantum particles. Emphasis on little. Probably be disproven in no time. It's just: I used to dream I'd discover some revolutionary concept, and.. oh, it's silly." Fred said.  
  
"Doesn't sound silly." Angel offered.  
  
"I-I guess I just wanted all those people I looked up to.. I wanted them to see me, too. And then I got sucked into Pylea, and, well, when you're a cow-slave you don't want anyone to see you at all."  
  
"Everybody will be watching you now." Gunn said.  
  
Fred stared at Gunn, eyes wide. She sucked in a deep breath and looked down at her cue cards. "I've got to practice. You-you'll be there?"  
  
"Cheering you on. Right?"  
  
Lorne made a face. Angel was looking at the woman his lap that had almost fallen asleep. Gunn looked at both of their backs, while Fred looked from Angel to Lorne to Willow, shifting on her feet.  
  
"Blondie and Big Guy had a lot of midnight fun last night. Wore them out." Lorne said.  
  
"Not to mention that Xander was here." Buffy yawned.  
  
"Xander was here?" Willow asked.  
  
"He picked up some of Cordelia's things." Angel said.  
  
"She's just trying to put the pieces back together. It'll work out and it'll all be for the best. It will! Five years of unendurable torture and mental anguish aside, if I hadn't been sucked through that portal I never would have figured out my string compactification theory." Fred said.  
  
"Exactly. Cause, you know, strings need to compactify." Gunn said.  
  
Everyone stared at Gunn. Buffy yawned again and shifted in Angel's lap. Angel smiled slightly, seeing that his wife had fallen asleep. He wrapped his arms under her knees and back and stood slowly.  
  
"I'm gonna lay her down and take a nap with her." Angel said.  
  
"You're not going to listen to my speech?" Fred asked.  
  
"Surprise me. I like surprises." Angel walked out and up the stairs.  
  
Once Buffy was under the covers and sleeping soundly, Angel crawled in next to her. On instinct, Buffy curled around his body and Angel held her. They slept most of the day and were woken up by Conner telling them it was time for 'Fred's thing at the place where she's talking about science stuff.' It took them a few minutes to actually wake up and get downstairs, but once they did, Fred had them out the door.  
  
Angel dropped Conner and Dawn off at Hank's house because they weren't into the whole 'science crap.' Once they got to the place where Fred was to present her speech, both Willow and Fred were balls of bubbly bouncy science geeks. Gunn straighten Fred's cue cards and handed them back to her as they all rode up an escalator at the institute.  
  
"Thank you." Fred said. They got off the escalator and moved through a crowd of academics. "At least I remembered the uniform."  
  
"All these people here to see you?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I'm just a minor speaker. Oh, god!" Fred walked over to the list of speakers. "I'm between Ed Witten and Brian Greene?"  
  
"Really?!" Willow asked, coming up next to Fred.  
  
Buffy, Angel, and Gunn al stared at the two dumbfounded. They had no clue who these people were.  
  
"Think Nomar Garciaparra and Sammy Sosa." Fred said.  
  
Gunn whistled as Angel said, "Fred's skipped the minors and went straight to the show."  
  
"This can't be right. Somebody must have made a mistake!"  
  
"Listen up: all this stuff about particles and.. stuff, it's gonna blow them away. Nothing to worry about." Gunn said.  
  
"Well, what if my theory is wrong?" Fred spotted someone. "Professor Seidel?"  
  
"Winifred!" The man said, turning to a blonde. "Laurie, I'll meet you back at the lab." Laurie left. "There you are. It's been, what? Two years, or so."  
  
"Yeah. Heavy on the 'or so.' Wow. It is great to see you. Are you gonna be in there?"  
  
"I'm introducing you. I had to arm wrestle the chair of the department for the honor."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Winifred, you have done some great work. You don't have anything to worry about."  
  
Gunn cleared his throat loudly and Fred turned to them. "Oh, ah, these are my friends: Charles and Willow and Angel and his wife Buffy."  
  
"Hey." Gunn said, shaking the professor's hand.  
  
"Hi. Fred's said a lot about you over the phone." Willow said, shaking the professor's hand enthusiastically.  
  
"Hello." Angel said, shaking the professor's next.  
  
"Hi." Buffy said, shaking too.  
  
"My, you are a pretty thing. Awfully young to be married." The professor said to Buffy.  
  
"Yeah, well.. Life is short."  
  
The professor laughed.  
  
"I was gonna be a history major, and then I took Professor Seidel's physics class, and, well.." Fred said.  
  
"Winifred is a natural. By the end of the first semester she was taking on w.i.m.p.s." Professor Seidel said.  
  
"You should see her now! Killer left hook." Gunn said.  
  
"Wimps are weakly interactive massive particles." Willow said.  
  
"Oh, yeah, ah, just kidding."  
  
"Do you remember that Higgs Scalars tutorial?" The professor asked Fred. "I still remember your take on spontaneous symmetry breaking."  
  
"You know, it's, ah, filling up. I'm gonna go find and save some seats." Angel said.  
  
"Going with." Buffy said, following Angel. They walked in and found some seats near the front and sat down. Buffy glanced around at all the smart looking people. "Angel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I've never felt more like a blonde than I do right now. I probably stick out like a sore thumb! I'm the only blonde here."  
  
"Buffy, relax. It's ok."  
  
"No! It's really not! I have no clue what any of this crap means."  
  
"Don't worry. Gunn looks more like a blonde than you."  
  
"He's bald."  
  
"Well, he was kind of looking foolish out there."  
  
"I almost said the same thing."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Buffy sighed and looked around the place. She spotted Wesley sitting further away and poked Angel in the ribs just as he was putting his jacket over the back of one of the seats in the front row of the far from completely filled auditorium. Angel was about to look over, but a guy wearing a comic book T-shirt bumped into his arm with the backpack he was carrying as he made for a seat in the row behind Angel and Buffy.  
  
"Oh, sorry about that." The guy said.  
  
Buffy poked Angel again. He looked sharply at her because her nail had jabbed him hard. She rolled her eyes and pointed. Angel looked where Buffy had pointed and saw Wes sit down. Gunn walked in and handed Angel his jacket as he sat down in the chair Angel had reserved with it. Willow sat on the other side of Buffy and watched as Fred and her professor came up the aisle.  
  
"Listen, man, I'm gonna need simultaneous translating on this thing. You know, like the president with the Russians, but just give me the highlights." Gunn said.  
  
"No problem. Of course, I have no idea what she's talking about." Angel said.  
  
"Will you tell Fred that? If she thinks we're both stupid, I won't stand out as much."  
  
"Switch seats with Buffy."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Willow knows what Fred's talking about."  
  
"Oh." Gunn tapped Buffy's arm and gestured at his seat then hers. She got the hint and stood up, switching seats just as he lights dimmed and the professor guy came on stage.  
  
"There have been many recent insights into string theory, but few have so elegantly tied together the disparate threads as the one you will hear tonight. As a student, Winifred Burkle showed outstanding intellectual rigor. Her work continues to exemplify the highest standard of academic excellence. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to introduce Winifred Burkle."  
  
As polite applause filled the small auditorium, Lilah walked into the back of the lecture hall. Angel turned his head and saw her looking around.  
  
"Thank you professor." Fred said. "This one just says 'open with joke.' But I forgot to think of one. But it's possible that my theory will take care of that. There are, um, there are several competing dimensional theories, and while each provides insights, physicists have long searched for a unifying theory. One that can account for both the behavior of the smallest subatomic particles, and the largest forces of nature. If space- time can undergo massive rearrangement of its structure, which I believe it can, tearing and reconnecting according to a predetermined disposition then T-duality would allow for the compactification of extra space dimensions. Consider the non-perturbative properties of superstring theory. In D- Branes, especially as it applies to Dirichlet boundary conditions with dual open strings that are t-transformed, this in turn leads to the conclusion that strings can only end in P-dimensional dynamical.." As Fred talked, a disturbance formed above her head. As the commotion spread, Fred stopped talking and looked up.  
  
A bundle of long, snake-like tentacles, each ending in a tooth-filled beak suddenly reached out of the hole in the air and took hold of Fred, while Seidel quickly ducked away. Gunn, Buffy, and Angel jumped out of their seats and headed for the stage as Wes also got up from his seat at the back of the hall.  
  
"Fred! No!" Gunn cried.  
  
Fred was screaming as the tentacles wrapped around her tried to pull her up into the hole. Gunn was holding on to Fred's legs. Angel and Buffy stabbed at the monster with the microphone stand and a small dagger Buffy had had hidden in her boot.  
  
"Hang on baby. I got you!" Gunn said, straining to hold on.  
  
One tentacle wrapped around Angel's neck and lifted him off the floor. Buffy went for him, but the demon pulled him higher. She tried to snap kick a tentacle, but the thing caught her leg and wrapped around her ankle, lifting her up viciously.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy cried.  
  
"Yeah. Vampire strangling. Not gonna happen." Angel said.  
  
"Rilascio e ritorno!" Willow yelled. (A/N 'Rilascio e ritorno' means Release and return in Italian.) The demon screamed and let go of Fred, Angel, and Buffy.  
  
"It's over, baby. You're fine." Gunn said, holding Fred tight.  
  
Angel stood and helped Buffy up. She started to walk over to Willow, but nearly fell when she took a step on the foot the demon had grabbed. Angel caught her just in time and carried her to a chair.  
  
"My ankle. It must be twisted pretty bad." Buffy said, massaging it.  
  
"Stay here." Angel said.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"Lilah." Angel ran out.  
  
Willow came up and sat next to Buffy. "You ok?"  
  
"I'm fine. It's just a little swollen. I'll be better in the morning. Check on Fred for me, ok?"  
  
"Sure." Willow walked over to Fred.  
  
Wesley walked up to Buffy and kneeled down in front of her, taking her ankle gently. "You should get this checked out."  
  
"It's fine, really." Buffy said.  
  
"This is bad lighting. You can tell that it's going to need a wrap, possibly even a stint."  
  
"Nuh uh. It isn't that bad. Is it?"  
  
Wesley gently lifted her ankle and showed Buffy the large purple whelp forming on her ankle. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was cracked. You want me to take you to a hospital?"  
  
"No. Angel will."  
  
"I thought Willow was off the magicks." Wesley said, sitting next to Buffy.  
  
"She was. She's got too much power in her. Giles said it was best she learn to use it for good."  
  
"She seems to be doing well."  
  
"So do you. I mean, you're actually talking and being all caring like."  
  
Wesley smiled a little. "Can't let a former charge of mine go unattended."  
  
"Is that how you see me now? A former charge?" Wesley looked down. "Wesley, as far as I'm concerned, you're a friend. You helped us with Angel and then Cordy. Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Angel ran up. "Hey Wes. Buffy, are you ok?"  
  
"She's going to need a doctor." Wesley said, standing up and walking away.  
  
Buffy watched him go. "You scared him off." She said to Angel.  
  
"I didn't mean to." Angel said.  
  
"I know."  
  
Angel lifted Buffy in his arms and carried her off the stage. Willow, Fred, and Gunn followed him out to the convertible. 


	21. Supersymmetry part 2

Chapter 21  
  
Gunn came down the stairs to find Angel standing in front of row after row of chairs set up in the hotel lobby. Buffy sat in the first row, her ankle in a gel stint and her crutches laid in the chair beside her.  
  
"Great. My girl is not the only one redecorating." Gunn said.  
  
"You were there." Angel said, pointing.  
  
"Okay. What are we doing? Playing musical chairs?"  
  
"If we were, I wouldn't be playing." Buffy said. "He's trying to figure out where that demon thing came from."  
  
Angel ignored Gunn and Buffy's conversation as he looked past them and suddenly the lobby with its chairs morphed into the lecture hall and the people sitting around and behind Gunn and Buffy. "Nerdy guy. Older nerdy guy. Girl in black there." Angel said.  
  
"Okay. Catching on sorta. How come you never pulled out this parlor trick before?" Gunn asked.  
  
"It's not an automatic reflex. It just kicked in when I saw Lilah."  
  
"Hold up. Lilah was there? Not a huge leap thinking she opened the portal."  
  
"She was just stalking Wesley."  
  
"Wesley? He came to see.."  
  
"You didn't see him talking to me on the stage?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. I was busy comforting my girl."  
  
"He was waiting." Angel said.  
  
"Wesley?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Guy in the second row, center seat. The guy wearing a tan T-shirt that said 'Thwack!' He had a camera."  
  
"I think I know where to find him." Gunn got up and headed for the doors.  
  
"Whoa, whoa. Ho, ho! Hang on. Wife is a little slower than usual."  
  
"Well, help her. Because when my girls not happy.." Gunn said.  
  
  
  
"I'm not happy." Gunn said, slamming the comic book guy against the counter. Buffy sat on a stool while Angel held her crutches for her. The guy looked over at Angel and asked, "Is he gonna hurt me?"  
  
"Think Daredevil one eighty one. I'm Bullseye, you're Electra. One wins, one dies. Get what I'm saying?" Gunn said.  
  
"Yeah. But we're kind of crushing the Dark Horses."  
  
"You were taking pictures of my girlfriend. Why?"  
  
"Because the ceiling was like ripping apart!"  
  
"Why were you there? You always hang with the physicist crowd?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I wanted to see if it was true, if she was really one of them. You know, one of the students who disappeared."  
  
"One of?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Yeah. A bunch of kids just disappeared out of nowhere." Gunn let go of the guy and he walked to the backroom.  
  
"Angel, this is getting old." Buffy said.  
  
"We just have to be patient Buffy." Angel said, kissing her hand.  
  
"It's kind of hard to be patient when you're out of the game for a little while."  
  
The guy came back out from behind the beaded curtain. "You guys know how it is. Like you hear things from the friend of a friend's roommate. You don't know if they really happen."  
  
"Like the story about the girl, the cat and the peanut butter." Gunn said.  
  
"That one's true." Angel said. Gunn looked at him. "Long story."  
  
"Yeah, like, you're Buffy and Angel, right? There are whole forums on you guys in chat rooms, man! Who knew you actually, like, existed?!" the guy said.  
  
"The disappearances?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Ah, supposedly there were three before your girlfriend and one since."  
  
"What do you know?" Angel asked.  
  
"Just rumors. They're all science types, like these weren't your everyday kidnappings. Hey, maybe I can help you guys. Be your Intern."  
  
"We're full up on interns. But the decoder ring's in the mail." Gunn said.  
  
Gunn started to leave. Buffy stood on her good foot and took her crutches from Angel. They followed Gunn out, but Angel stopped which made Buffy stop.  
  
"They talk about us in the chatty rooms?" Angel asked.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy said. She grabbed his coat and yanked on him. He followed.  
  
  
  
Willow sat at the computer scrolling through the web pages. Buffy sat on the desk behind the counter with her foot in Angel's lap. Angel sat in the desk's chair gently massaging Buffy's fractured ankle. Gunn paced the floor.  
  
"I don't like this, man. I got a bad feeling." Gunn said. Willow turned and looked at him. "What?"  
  
"Here. The thing all the students had in common." Willow said.  
  
"Oliver Seidel. As in the guy she's with right now." Gunn turned to hurry out the office and almost ran into Fred standing just inside the door. "Fred. Thank god. Look, there is something we got to tell you. The portal.."  
  
"It was professor Seidel." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And he's done it before."  
  
"That's right. There are others." Willow said.  
  
"No. To me. He's the son of a bitch that sent me to Pylea."  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"We're gonna get this guy." Angel said.  
  
"Count on it. He's gonna pay." Gunn said.  
  
"No. He's gonna die." Fred said.  
  
"What do you mean, die?"  
  
"I don't know yet, but it's going to be about pain." Fred opened the weapons cabinet. "The halberd could work." She picked it up and made stabbing motions with it as she turned back to Gunn, who backed up a little. "Acting like I'm all addlebrained talking about other dimensions. Pylea, never heard of it. Right! How about a flail whipping? Would that take a nice long time?"  
  
"Hours if you do it right." Angel said. Fred picked a flail from the cabinet and whirled it around. "Not that you should do it." Angel stood up and walked over, carefully taking the flail away from her. "At all. Ever."  
  
"He's a killer. And he's just sitting there smiling, telling me I'm so gifted and how he wants to teach me. Oh, there is going to be a lesson, all right."  
  
"Alright, Fred, lets calm down." Buffy said, standing and limping over to the group.  
  
"I idolized him and he sent me to hell. Me and God knows how many others who didn't make it back, so.. so sure! I'll calm down.. when he's dead!"  
  
"Fred, a few years ago I would have done in the guy myself. But this? It isn't what we do." Gunn said. He tried to take the halberd away from Fred but she pulled out of his reach.  
  
"We kill monsters every day."  
  
"We help people. Fred, if you do this, the demons you'll be living with won't be the horned, fangy kind, they'll be the kind you can't get rid of." Buffy said.  
  
"You're wrong."  
  
"She's right. Whatever you do now, is nothing compared to how it'll be afterward." Angel said, supporting Buffy against him.  
  
"It's not a place where you want to go. Believe me. I've been there." Willow said.  
  
"What you're talking about goes against everything you believe in, everything we believe in. Fred, you idolized him, but don't let him be defining what you are now." Gunn said. He held out his hand. "Can I have the ax?"  
  
After a moment Fred let him have the ax. "I'm sorry, Charles. I guess I kind of lost it."  
  
"You want a drink? I could make you some cocoa."  
  
"No. Thanks. I'm just gonna go lay down.. for a few days."  
  
Gunn watched Fred walk up the stairs, then turned to face Buffy and Angel. "So what are we gonna do to this guy?"  
  
"No idea. But let's do it fast." Angel said.  
  
"We got to get to him before Fred changes her mind. Cause vengeance? It can get ugly. Speaking from experience here." Willow said.  
  
"Tell me about it! I was there." Buffy said as Angel lifted her up and sat her on the counter. "So, how can I help? Want me to come along and be an example of how dangerous portals can be?"  
  
"Oh, that's right. We've lost one of our best fighters." Gunn said.  
  
"Well, not exactly."  
  
"You're incapacitated. Can't help us out with your fractured ankle."  
  
"I didn't mean me. CONNER!"  
  
A few seconds later, Conner was standing on the top of the stairs walking down. "Yeah mom?"  
  
"You're going to go with your Dad and Uncle Gunn here on a little mission."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yup. Listen to whatever your father has to say. Ok?"  
  
"Of course. What weapon can I take?"  
  
"Slow down kiddo!" Angel said, ruffling Conner's hair.  
  
"I'm gonna go check on Fred." Gunn said.  
  
"I'll come with. Gotta have someone to talk to while you guys are gone." Buffy said.  
  
"I'm still here." Willow said.  
  
"I meant someone to distract."  
  
"Uh, how are you going to get up the stairs with your crutches?" Angel asked.  
  
"You. Conner, get into something slay worthy. You know I don't like you slaying in your school clothes."  
  
Conner ran back up to his room and Angel picked Buffy up in his arms. Gunn grabbed her crutches and walked up behind Angel. Angel put Buffy down and Gunn handed her, her crutches. Gunn knocked on the door and waited for an answer. Nothing. He opened the door and walked in.  
  
"She's gone!" Gunn said.  
  
"What?" Angel asked.  
  
"As in, not here."  
  
"She must've slipped out the back way."  
  
"And I'm asking her if she wants cocoa. Stupid!"  
  
"She's gonna kill him."  
  
"If he doesn't kill her first. You know where she went."  
  
"Look, I'm faster on my own."  
  
"Go. Conner and I'll meet you there."  
  
"She'll be okay." Angel said, jumping out the window.  
  
Gunn turned and headed out the door. Buffy cleared her throat and he came back in. "Sorry." Gunn picked Buffy up and carried her down the stairs. Conner, Willow, and Dawn waited for them at the bottom of the stairs. Willow helped Buffy down from Gunn's arms and they watched Gunn and Conner head out the door.  
  
  
  
When 11:30 came and went, Angel, Gunn, Conner, and Fred hadn't checked in. Willow, Dawn, and Buffy lounged around with Lorne. They had music playing and a game of 'Uno' going. So far, Dawn was winning. A knock came from the main lobby doors and Lorne went to get it.  
  
"I didn't think it was locked." Buffy said.  
  
"It's not." Lorne said, stepping away to reveal Cordelia and Xander.  
  
"Hey." Xander said. "She wanted to come back."  
  
"Cordelia!" Buffy said. She wobbled to her feet and grabbed her crutches.  
  
"Oh my God! What happened?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Oh, a demon and a portal. Fractured my ankle. It'll be completely healed by Sunday."  
  
"How? I mean, fractured ankles take a while."  
  
"Slayers have fast healing. It goes along with the job."  
  
"Sucked into his own portal." Angel said, walking in behind everyone with Fred, Gunn, and Conner. "Wish I could have seen his face."  
  
"Yeah. I'm gonna.." Gunn said, heading upstairs.  
  
"Good night." Fred said, following.  
  
"Night!" Angel turned around and found everyone grouped on the other side of the lobby. "Buffy! What are you doing on your feet? You need rest."  
  
"Angel.." Buffy shifted out of the way to show him she was with Cordy.  
  
"Hi." Cordy said.  
  
"Cordelia." Angel walked up to them.  
  
"Can we.. you know, talk? You, me, and Angel?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Sure." Angel came and picked Buffy up and carried her out to the garden where they sat on a bench in front of the fountain.  
  
Cordy noticed the wound on Angel's head. "You should have somebody look at that."  
  
"It'll be okay. Run-in with a Voynok demon. Turns out they have nine lives." Angel said.  
  
"Like a cat?"  
  
"Only less stand off-ish."  
  
"We were friends. I know that. Not just from the pictures, but.. And I know that's why you lied before.. to protect me. Well, I-I staked a vamp today."  
  
"Xander took you.." Buffy started.  
  
Cordy didn't let her finish. "And what I realized is: whoever I was before.. I'm still her. She didn't need protecting, and neither do I. So no more lies?"  
  
"No more lies."  
  
"Good. Because there is something I need to know. Did I have someone I loved before I.. left? Xander said that he had someone, Anya, and you guys have each other, and Fred and Gunn are together, and I'm pretty sure Lorne and I weren't, and Dawn and Conner are too young. Was there.. Someone? I feel like there's a hole inside me. Like something's missing."  
  
Buffy and Angel stared at each other, not knowing what exactly to say about Gru. 


	22. Him part 1

Chapter 22  
  
"You're gonna live in that small room over there. I know it looks like a closet, but it's a room now." Xander said as Faith and Buffy followed Xander into the apartment. "You're not gonna touch my food. I take the first shower in the morning, and if I use up all the hot water, that's your tough noogies." Spike walked up to the door and looked in. Xander turned to Buffy and Faith and said, "And I hate this plan." To Spike. "Are you keeping up, or do you need some kind of English-to-Constant-Pain-In-My-Ass translation?"  
  
"Invitation." Buffy said.  
  
"Is there something more emphatic than hate? Can I revile the plan? Fine. I invite you in." Spike entered. "Nimrod."  
  
"Don't want your soddin' food anyway." Spike said.  
  
"I just don't understand when his problems became your problems.. more specifically mine."  
  
"The school basement is making him crazy. We can't just leave him there." Faith said.  
  
"Why not? Crazy-Basement-Guy is better than Stalking-Slayers-Guy. Besides, you have an apartment!"  
  
"I, uh.. I don't want him there. Not yet. Maybe not ever."  
  
"It's true. You guys aren't..? You're not starting up again with the whole..?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No. A thousand gallons of no. Ok, it's just.. things are different now. He has a soul."  
  
"I'm sure that'll be a real comfort when he soulfully attacks you again." Xander said.  
  
"Yeah, what does that mean exactly.. that Spike is all soul-having?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I don't know, but he's been through a lot, Ok, and nobody's attacking.." Faith jumped and spun, ready to hit someone when Spike touched her arm.  
  
"Faith. Sorry." Spike said.  
  
"No, it's me. I-I just.."  
  
"I'll go. This can't work."  
  
"It will. I-it already is. Ok, you know, you've been out of the basement for half an hour, and you've already stopped talking to invisible people."  
  
"Bollocks."  
  
"Ok, so there was that one episode in the car, but.."  
  
"No, bollocks to the whole thing. I don't need your mollycoddling."  
  
"It's not coddling. Now go to your closet." Faith walked out. Buffy shrugged at Xander and Spike and then slightly limped out. Her ankle was healed pretty much completely, but she still limped a little to make sure.  
  
  
  
Monday came fast and Buffy sighed. She, Faith, and Dawn were out on the football field watching the football players practice. Actually, they were there to support Conner who had joined the team.  
  
"So, what is it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"What's what?" Faith asked.  
  
"Last night, you said you weren't helping Spike out of pity. What is it?"  
  
"It's a good question."  
  
"Is sitting there drinking soda some kind of a Zen non-answer?" Dawn asked.  
  
"No, I just.. I don't know what I'm feeling. I think I can't stand him, but sometimes.."  
  
"You love him?"  
  
"Like none other. But now, I feel for him."  
  
"Feel what, exactly?"  
  
"Dawn.." Buffy warned.  
  
"No, I'm.. I'm just trying to understand. I mean, none of it makes sense. First you both say you love each other and Spike's saying he'd die for you, but he tries to rape you."  
  
"For the record, Spike knew how wrong it was. That's why he went away." Faith said.  
  
"Then why did you?"  
  
"I needed to get away. Take a break that wasn't behind bars."  
  
"Spike leaving to get a soul? Like that would make him a better man? Xander had a soul when he stood Anya up at the altar. And now he says he still wants her? I just don't think it's the school basement that's making people crazy."  
  
"I should really get back. You comin' with?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I just don't see why people bother. I mean, you put all this energy into chasing and having and brooding and I just don't understand these relationships where you all do insane things."  
  
"Bye rant girl. Later Faith." Buffy walked away with a wave at Conner.  
  
Dawn kept talking to Faith. "Well, you could, like, paint a beautiful mural on every ugly wall in the world, and then you could paint a beautiful mural on every ugly mural in the world." Dawn stopped talking as she spotted the quarterback, a tall, slender, athletic blonde teenager, putting on his letterman jacket after practice. She was mesmerized as he drank from a squirt bottle and then doused his face with water from the bottle and walked off. She watched him so intently, that she leaned after him as he left, causing her to lose her balance and fall off the bleachers.  
  
Faith laughed at her as se helped her up. "Dawn, you're such a teenager!"  
  
"God, I hope he didn't see."  
  
"I'm sure he didn't."  
  
Faith and Dawn walked down to the field where Conner met up with them. "Hey guys!"  
  
"Great work out there. Just try not to bash anyone's skull in with your superpowers." Faith joked.  
  
"I've been doing good. Did mom say anything about my playing?"  
  
"I think she said, um.. Nothing." Dawn said.  
  
"She went back in. Your dad's coming to pick her up and they're going to the doctor to check on her ankle and then going to see Anya." Faith said.  
  
  
  
Buffy's used her battleaxe to fight a demon in Anya's apartment. The place was completely trashed. Anya was on the floor in the corner, crawling.  
  
"Maybe I'm not even the right Anyanka. Ever think about that? There's tons of Anyanka's out there. Maybe one of them pissed off this, uh.. what did you say his name was? D'Hoffryneffer.." Anya mumbled.  
  
Buffy, Angel, and the demon continued to fight until Buffy finally hurled the battleaxe at it and it landed in the thing's chest, killing it.  
  
"Good thing I stopped by and heard screaming. So, I guess D'Hoffryn decided to take you out after all?" Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah. He's, uh, not head of vengeance for nothing." Anya got an ice tray from the freezer. "Well, thank you both for the generous life-saving. Now please go away." She took the ice and a dishtowel into the other room and picked up a knocked-over chair. "Look, I don't need anyone's help. Or, ok, clearly I do, but I don't want to need anyone's help, so stop helping." She started making an ice pack with the ice and towel.  
  
"I get it. After the other week, you feel you need to be all renegade and broody. Taking yourself out of the loop." Angel said. "I get that."  
  
"I need to figure out who I am."  
  
"Another, something bad is happening. I don't want my friends out there alone right now, ok?" Buffy said.  
  
"Well, I-I guess you guys could use my help. Willow's not very good with the practical strategizing.. except when she's evil. And Dawn.. she's not really good for anything."  
  
"Right." Buffy sighed. "Well, I got a date with a doctor. We'll see you later."  
  
  
  
"What's Dawn doing?" Buffy asked. She and Angel were curled up next to each other on the couch watching a fire blaze.  
  
"I don't know. Some project she's doing I think." Angel said.  
  
"Oh. Interesting. Where's Conner?"  
  
"Hanging out with some of his new football buddies at the Bronze."  
  
"If only Dawn.."  
  
"Hey guys!" Willow said, walking in.  
  
"And Willow weren't here."  
  
"If only." Angel whispered in her ear.  
  
"What's going on? Where's Conner and Dawn?" Willow asked.  
  
"Conner, Bronze. Dawn, basement."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Project. I think that's what she said to Angel who said it to me."  
  
"Hmm. Well, I'm going to bed. Too many facts and voices flowing through my head."  
  
"Rough day?"  
  
"The worst. Stupid pop quizzes. I miss last week." Willow walked upstairs with a wave.  
  
Dawn ran through the living room and up the stairs. "See you tomorrow guys!" Buffy and Angel just sat there, unfazed and in love. Buffy sighed and leaned back down onto Angel's marble chest that felt like it was built just for her. He laid a kiss on top of her head and breathed in her vanilla scent. She turned in his arms and kissed him deeply. His hands were sliding down to her hips and up under the hem of her shirt just as the door opened.  
  
"Mom! Dad! God, get a room!" Conner said.  
  
Buffy and Angel broke apart and laughed. "Hi sweetie. Have fun?" Buffy asked.  
  
"The best. Thanks for letting me go out with my friends tonight."  
  
"Welcome."  
  
"Good night."  
  
"Night." Angel called.  
  
"Conner?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah mom?" Conner stopped half way up the stairs as Buffy walked into the foyer.  
  
"Will you check on Dawn for me? Make sure her project's going good."  
  
"Sure." Conner ran the rest of the way up.  
  
  
  
Buffy stood at the bathroom door. Dawn had locked herself in the bathroom to hide from the day's events. Dawn's sobbing was loud behind the door.  
  
"Come on, Dawnie. Come out. Dawn, sweetheart, it's not that bad." Buffy called.  
  
"How would you even know? R.J.'s never gonna notice me now." Dawn said, opening the door.  
  
"From what you said, I'm sure he already noticed you, I mean with the falling and the.." Dawn squeaked and closed door. "Spirit. Spirit. They said you were spirited, right?"  
  
"Go away!"  
  
"Dawn.."  
  
"Things are a lot better, I see." Angel said, coming up the stairs.  
  
"She opened the door and I think I said something wrong."  
  
"Shall I order a pizza? Don't teens in a snit like pizza?"  
  
Dawn opened the door angrily. "It is not a snit! I-I finally met him.. they guy of my dreams, ok? And I blew it. R.J. hates me now."  
  
Buffy saw her old cheerleading outfit on the bathroom floor, shredded. "Dawn, what is that?"  
  
"Just the end of my life." Dawn ran off to her room.  
  
Angel walked to the bathroom door and saw Buffy picking up her old outfit. Buffy sighed and walked to Dawn's room. "You shredded my outfit."  
  
"I'll buy you a new one."  
  
"That's not the point. I don't want a new cheerleading outfit." Buffy handed Angel the outfit and walked over to Dawn's bed and sat down. "Dawn, I'm sorry that you feel so bad. Ok, but in the morning this won't seem so terrible. You don't even know this R.J. Not really."  
  
"I do know him. I know his soul."  
  
"Really? Dawn, he wasn't even on your radar yesterday."  
  
"I'm sure this crush will blow over soon and you'll find some other guy you like." Angel said, trying to comfort Dawn.  
  
"It isn't a crush. It's love. I love R.J." Dawn said.  
  
"Again, since yesterday. Dawn, it's awfully fast." Buffy said.  
  
"What? You're telling me I don't feel what I feel?"  
  
"No, of course not. I believe that you think it's real. It seems real.. to you."  
  
"You know what? Maybe I don't want advice from the Dysfunction Queen. You have no idea how I feel. You have no idea what real love is. Maybe if you did, you wouldn't make fun of me this way."  
  
"Dawn, I'm not making fun of you. And please! I do know what real love is. Standing right there."  
  
"So? And then you tell me that it's all so sudden! Buffy, you said that you were in love with Angel and you two hadn't even been going out for more than a week."  
  
"It's different. We had known each other longer." Angel said.  
  
"Just go. Leave me alone." Dawn said, flopping back down on the bed.  
  
Buffy sighed and left. Angel followed her to her room, dropping the cheerleading outfit in the garbage. Buffy slumped onto the couch and sighed, looking up the stairs.  
  
"She's never acted like this before." Buffy said.  
  
"She's young. She's got a crush. It'll pass." Angel said, sitting next to her and massaging her neck.  
  
"What if it doesn't? What if she does something drastic?"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like, she decides to sleep with him just cause she thinks she loves him and then he leaves her and hurts her and then he follows her around and tries to kill all her friends and family and then.."  
  
"Buffy."  
  
"Sorry. I guess I was channeling some fear of what happened to me when I was that age."  
  
"She's 16. You were 17."  
  
"Doesn't matter. She's so like me at that age it's scary. I just don't want her to get hurt is all I'm saying."  
  
"She's not going to get hurt."  
  
  
  
Buffy stood in the principal's office staring at Dawn. Her little sister had gotten called in for hurting some football player. Apparently Dawn had pushed the guy down some stairs.  
  
"It all happened so fast. I mean, one minute he was walking, and the next he stumbled, and then he fell." Dawn said.  
  
"Why would he say you pushed him down the stairs?" Principal Wood asked.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe he was just embarrassed. It's hard being clumsy, especially when you're popular and athletic. I'd bet."  
  
"Yeah, well, to be candid, it wouldn't be the first time I caught O'Donnell in a lie."  
  
"It'd be nice if his lies didn't involve my sister, though." Buffy said.  
  
"Anyway, I'm gonna have to call Coach Wheeler and, uh, tell him the bad news. Not a conversation I really want to have."  
  
"At least you still got R.J. to take over." Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah. Well, I think we have everything we need for now. I'm sorry you had to get involved in this, Dawn."  
  
"That's ok. I'm just really sorry it happened." Dawn stood up and walked out. Buffy stared at her as she walked out. Principal Wood stood up and turned to look at Buffy.  
  
"Sorry you had to get dragged into this." He said.  
  
"It's ok. At least she's off the hook."  
  
"Pampered football players. Can't ever take the blame for themselves."  
  
Buffy nodded and walked out. She sat at her desk and picked up the phone. Angel picked up on the fourth ring.  
  
"Busy?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not really. What are you doing?" Angel asked.  
  
"Being severely bored. Well, now anyway. Dawn and I just got out of the principal's office."  
  
"What'd you do?"  
  
"Angel.."  
  
"I was kidding."  
  
"Dawn pushed some football player that was going to replace that boy that she likes down the stairs."  
  
"She did what?"  
  
"She pushed him down the stairs. I told you she might do something drastic and it can only get worse from here." A student knocked on Buffy's cubicle. "I'll talk to you later. A student just came in. Love you."  
  
"Love you too."  
  
Buffy hung up and looked at the student as she sat down. 


	23. Him part 2

Chapter 23  
  
Faith, Buffy, Angel, Willow, and Xander all sat at the Bronze. A pretty decent band was playing and people were dancing and talking all around. Buffy smiled at Angel who smiled back and took her hand. Conner was at a party that the football team was throwing to celebrate the night's winning game. The game had been fun. Conner had played a great game and scored the winning touchdown. Because he was so happy and his parents trusted him, they had let him go to the party. Dawn was at the library studying because she was still in trouble for pushing that boy down the stairs.  
  
"Well, Spike definitely seems a little more cogent, less bl-bl-bl-bl-bl. I'm just saying.. once you get back the soul, doesn't that mean you start, like, picking up your own wet towels off the floor?" Xander asked.  
  
"No, but you start to feel really bad about leaving them there." Angel said.  
  
"At least he's showering, and that's a refreshing and delightful change." Buffy said.  
  
"Buff." Xander motioned towards the floor.  
  
R.J. was there dancing with some slutty girl that reminded Buffy of Faith back when she and Buffy had first met. "I think that's the guy." Buffy said.  
  
"What guy?" Willow asked.  
  
"The one who, according to Dawn, is the quote smartest, funniest, coolest, hottest, and having the thickest boy eyelashes boy in school unquote." Angel said.  
  
"He don't seem so tough." Xander said.  
  
"Check out the fan club." Willow said.  
  
There a girl dancing with R.J. had long light brown slightly wavy hair. She was slim and wore tight hip-hugging blue jeans and a tight, sheer blouse that was off one shoulder and bared the midriff. She was dancing with him very sexily, gyrating her hips and running her hands through her hair.  
  
"Daddy like." Xander said.  
  
"What is that shirt made of? Paint?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Buff.." Faith said.  
  
"Glad Dawnie isn't here to see her precious boyfriend getting all thrusty with some slut-bag hussy.." R.J.'s dancing partner turned around where Buffy could see her face. It was Dawn. Buffy stared, slack-jawed, in disbelief. "Oh."  
  
"Oh. Oh! No! 'Daddy'.. No, I wasn't.. When I was looking, I wasn't.. Oh, God!" Xander said.  
  
"Right there with ya." Willow said.  
  
While Dawn continued dirty dancing with R.J., Buffy and Angel were still staring in disbelief, while Xander looked like he's going to gag, and Faith and Willow seemed ashamed of Dawn's behavior.  
  
"She said she was going to be at the library!" Angel said.  
  
"I can't believe she lied to us." Buffy said.  
  
"She is definitely grounded for life."  
  
"You better believe it. I've never seen anyone dance that slutty since senior year."  
  
"Hey!" Faith said. "Well, ok. No 'hey', but still.. Hey!"  
  
"Sorry. But Dawn is definitely dancing dirtier than you. Where did she get that outfit? Sluts-r-Us?" Buffy and Angel got up and walked over to the bar and sat down.  
  
A few minutes later, Dawn walked to the bar, but Angel caught her off guard.  
  
"So, do you have plans later, or are you just gonna go down to the docks and wait for the fleet to come in?" he asked.  
  
"What?" Dawn asked, turning to Buffy and Angel.  
  
Buffy grabbed Dawn's arm and hauled her to a post. "Where do we start with the bad? First, you told us you were going to the library. Second, you do not go out on a date without informing Angel or me first. Third, Anna Nicole Smith thinks you look tacky."  
  
"Yeah, well I think I look hot, and so does R.J."  
  
"Oh, I bet he does. Maybe I should go have a little word with him." Angel said.  
  
"No!" Dawn grabbed Angel's arm. "Don't you dare embarrass me in front of him."  
  
"I don't like this. This boy has you acting crazy. And don't you dare talk to Angel like that." Buffy said.  
  
"It's my life. I'll do what I want to."  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
"Oh. So, what.. suddenly you're Mom now?"  
  
"No, I'm not. And I am glad she's not here to see you like this. Look, I'm sorry. I just.."  
  
"You just can't handle it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You've always been the special one. Hot little Buffy with her boyfriends. The Slayer. And now someone likes me, and you just can't stand that I'm getting the attention."  
  
"That is the farthest thing from true."  
  
"No it's not. And I'm sorry, but I like the way R.J. makes me feel, and if you think that makes me a slut or whatever, I don't care."  
  
Dawn started to walk away, but Angel grabbed her by the waist and brought her back. "Oh, no, no, no. You are not going back out on that dance floor."  
  
Dawn stared at both of them and then grabbed her coat, storming out the door. Buffy groaned and Angel growled dangerously in his chest. Buffy walked over, grabbed her and Angel's coats, and apologized to her friends before walking out the door with Angel. As soon as they were outside, they found Dawn and some girl in a major catfight. Buffy broke it up and stood between the two girls.  
  
"Ok, first with the lap dance, now with the cat fight." Buffy said. "Hey, you wanna get drunk and barf next?"  
  
"Let go of me." Dawn said. She turned to the other girl. "This isn't finished."  
  
"I'll never let you have him, bitch." The girl said. She kicked Buffy in the shin then ran off yelling, "R.J. is mine. I mean it! Stay away from him!"  
  
"Well, at least someone agrees you shouldn't be dating this guy." Angel said, staring after the girl and then turning back to Buffy and Dawn. "You ok?"  
  
"At least she missed the ankle." Buffy said.  
  
Angel took Buffy and Dawn home. The minute they were inside, Dawn wheeled on them.  
  
"You two are the most unfair people I have ever met! You let Conner do anything he wants!" Dawn said.  
  
"We let Conner do what he wants because we can trust him. He's not the one dressing like a slut, lying to us about where he's going, and dancing with a girl he barely knows." Buffy said.  
  
"Buffy, I wouldn't call that 'dancing with.' That's more like 'mating with.'" Angel turned to Dawn. "That little dance you pulled with that BOY made Buffy's dance with Xander look like ballet!"  
  
"Conner does what he's told. He knows not to push us."  
  
"He's pampered!" Dawn yelled.  
  
"You're grounded."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Yes. No going out, no football games, most definitely no Bronze, no phone, no TV. You can have your radio, but that's if, and only if, you finish all your homework AND you're chores. Straight to school and straight home from school. I don't want to hear any arguments. Go up to your room."  
  
"That's so unfair!"  
  
"Now!" Buffy and Angel both yelled.  
  
Dawn huffed and ran up the stairs. Buffy walked into the living room and threw her coat onto the couch's armrest. Instead of sitting down, Buffy started to pace. Angel plopped down onto the couch and watched her. His anger was just as high as Buffy's.  
  
"I don't know how else to control her." Buffy said. "I hate being the bad guy here, but I swear, she's out of control. That little diddy she brought up about mom earlier, I almost smacked her."  
  
"You're not the only one. I may not be her father, but no one in this household is going to be doing the stuff Dawn's been doing." Angel said.  
  
"I wish there was something I could do to make her understand that. She's not the one with the power in this household. You'd think that she'd take a hint from Conner and learn that if she does what she's supposed to and doesn't argue about every little thing, she'd be getting what she wants. But as long as she pulls these little stunts, she's not going to get anything but misery."  
  
"I've never felt more like my father than I do right now. He was right about all of it."  
  
Buffy sat down next to Angel. "How do you mean?"  
  
"I was the prodigal son. I was worse than Dawn at her age. My father used to tell me that when I had to punish my children for acts as sinful as mine, that I'd understand the way he felt. Of course that was on days that he was being nice to me and I wasn't drunk out of my mind."  
  
Buffy kissed Angel's temple. "It'll all work out in the end. At least I hope. My mom used to tell me that. I guess it will because she was right about one thing when she said it."  
  
"Right about what?"  
  
"You."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"When you left graduation day, I was a train wreck for weeks afterwards. My mom would come into my room with hot chocolate and tell me that it would all work out in the end. And now here we are. All worked out."  
  
"Thank God for that."  
  
"Well, I'm going to talk to this R.J. tomorrow. See what his deal is."  
  
"Good. Then you can send him to me and I'll beat the crap out of him."  
  
"That's my lover. Always thinking with his fists." Buffy said, wrapping her arms around Angel's waist.  
  
  
  
Principal Wood was talking to R.J. outside his office door, near Buffy's cubicle. Buffy was listening to the conversation. R.J. was wearing a gray t-shirt, and holding his letterman jacket by the collar.  
  
"How bout if you try doing your own homework for a change? No more getting these young, impressionable women to do it for you. Avoid detention, R.J. Sound good?" Principal Wood asked.  
  
"Whatever." R.J. said.  
  
"Oh, sweet infectious enthusiasm." Principal Wood walked back into his office, while R.J. started to go back to class. Buffy interrupted him.  
  
"Whoa. Hang on there, slappy. I'm not done with you yet." She said.  
  
"Oh, man. Like it's not bad enough I got that guy riding my back all the time. Now I gotta deal with you, too?" R.J. said.  
  
"Actually, I'm a bit more formidable than Mr. Wood. You might come to look fondly on his back-riding."  
  
"Yeah, but come on.."  
  
"Sit."  
  
He plopped down into one of the office chairs. "Hey, I told him I was sorry about the homework."  
  
"Mmm.. not the homework, Mr. Wizard. The girls. What you're doing to them. In specific, my sister."  
  
"Hey, I didn't do anything to your sister. And you saw how hot she looked last night. I think that proved that she.."  
  
"Aah! No more with the talky." Buffy turned away, hands up, to avoid the conversation. "Look, I know how guys like you work. You turn on the charm, you get whatever you want, no matter who gets in your way, right?"  
  
"Ok, look, it's not like that." R.J. started putting on jacket. "I just.." Buffy pushed him back into the seat. "..get along really well with girls."  
  
"Oh, I see how you get along." She turned to pace while she ranted. "Oh, look at me, I'm Mr. Quarterback. I crush little girls and all their little feelings. All I have to do is.." Buffy turned back, facing him now, and suddenly changed to a more pleasant tone. "Lead a team of high school athletes trying their best to do a good job. Everyone depending on me. That is a lot of pressure. But it doesn't mean you get to disregard other people's feelings."  
  
"It's not like I meant to hurt anyone."  
  
"I know. I know that. It's just.. you're a leader, a captain, ok? People look up to you. You need to keep that in mind when you.. I bet you run a lot, huh? I mean, they work you pretty hard, don't they?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
  
"I get that. I do. I'm there. Or at least I was there when I was still in high school. Which I was, just a couple of years ago, really. You know, I just realized that I'm basically the same age as you. I'm not really older at all, actually. Just like you, but with the sexual experience and stuff."  
  
"I think I hear what you're saying."  
  
A colleague came into the office lobby area. Buffy stood and cleared her throat, changing the tone of her conversation to seem more professional. "Um, right, I'm.. I'm really glad that w-we had this talk, so, uh, I think you'd better to get back to class."  
  
"Ok. Thanks." R.J. left.  
  
Buffy watched his back side with a small tilt to her head.  
  
  
  
"How'd your talk go sweetheart?" Angel asked Buffy as she sat on the couch watching TV.  
  
"Hmm.. Fine." Buffy said distractedly.  
  
"Dawn'll be home soon."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Are you gonna talk to her about what you and R.J. talked about?"  
  
"Sure." Dawn came through the front door as quietly as she could, but Buffy was sitting on the couch waiting for her. "Dawn. You wanna come talk to me?" Dawn walked in and sat down next to Buffy. "I wanted to tell you that I talked to R.J. today. He's ok. I think he likes you."  
  
"Really? Tell me what he said about me, every word, including intonation and facial expressions." Dawn said.  
  
"Well, he thinks you're-you're funny and-and pretty and interesting. Didn't have a thing to say against you." Buffy avoided eye contact with Dawn.  
  
"Yes, he did. I can tell."  
  
"The tiniest thing. He might have said that you came on a little strong."  
  
"Oh, my God! I'm the pushy queen of slut town."  
  
"No, honey, honey, not at all. No, no. It's just.. you know, lay back a little. Let him come to you."  
  
"I'm just scared that while I'm laying back, some other girl's gonna come and sweep him up."  
  
"But we have inside info. We know he doesn't like being swept. He likes to be the sweeper. Dawn, you're gonna come out the winner here, with me looking out for you."  
  
"Yeah, I guess so. Thank you." Dawn said, hugging Buffy. "So, um.. Am I off the whole grounded for life thing?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"For now. I'll let you go out, but only when Angel, Conner, or me is with you."  
  
"Oh. Well, that kind of works. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Dawn bounced upstairs happily.  
  
"What was that all about?" Angel asked.  
  
"Hmm? Oh! Well, he seemed like a good kid. Dawn is just a little pushy. It wasn't R.J.'s fault at all." Buffy said.  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Oh Angel, don't get so upset. I'm going to bed. Night." Buffy flounced up the stairs.  
  
  
  
"What are you wearing!?" Angel asked incredulously.  
  
"An outfit. I felt like wearing this old skirt today." Buffy twirled showing off her black satin shirt and short schoolgirl skirt. "You like?"  
  
"Only if we're playing dress up."  
  
"Oh! Look at the time, gotta go!" Buffy ran out the door and sped off in the convertible, leaving Angel with the van.  
  
When sixth period rolled around, Buffy bounced into R.J.'s math class. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to see R.J. Brooks down in the guidance office." R.J. got up and followed Buffy to an empty classroom. She let him in first and then shut the door behind her.  
  
"There's no one here." R.J. said.  
  
"Yeah, there is. There's one of you, and there's one of me." Buffy walked up to him, touching his back. "You were the one in math class. Tell me what that adds up to." Buffy pushed R.J. back onto a desk gently. "I've always been fascinated by football. So, what's it like to lead a team?"  
  
"The thing of it is: the time. Nobody gets how much time goes into it, with practices and games."  
  
"I totally get it. I was kinda juggling some stuff when I was in high school, too.. which was also very recent. Principal Snyder was always on me."  
  
"I still say Wood's the worst. You haven't seen the way that guy rides me. I wish somebody'd get him off my back."  
  
"Yeah, that would be cool."  
  
"And sometimes, I didn't even do anything wrong.." Buffy grabbed R.J. by the collar and kissed him passionately. They kissed for a moment, then he pulled back. "You're like a teacher!"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"And aren't you married?"  
  
"Does it bother you?"  
  
"Not so much." They kissed again and leaned back on the desks.  
  
  
  
Dawn ran out of the building and sat down outside on the edge of a large planter. She started to cry when she looked down and saw Xander's work boots and Angel's black boots standing there. They both seemed concerned and sat down beside her.  
  
"Dawn? What's wrong?" Angel asked.  
  
"Is this.. Did that guy in the jacket.." Xander asked.  
  
"Uh! I don't even want to hear his name anymore!" Dawn cried.  
  
"I just called him 'that guy in the jacket.'"  
  
"That's what I used to call him in my head before I knew his real name!"  
  
"Dawnie, honey, you seem extremely perturbed. Maybe I should go get Buffy.." Angel said.  
  
"No! I don't ever want to see her again."  
  
"I thought that was about that guy in the.. um, that guy with the thing." Xander said.  
  
"No, it's about both of them."  
  
"What do you mean?" Angel asked.  
  
"Find out for yourselves."  
  
Angel jumped up and ran off. Xander followed him. Angel followed Buffy's scent to an empty classroom. Xander caught up to him and opened the door.  
  
"Buffy, I think Dawn needs y.. Uuh!" Xander said.  
  
Buffy was straddling R.J.'s hips while he was lying on top of a desk. Her top was pulled half off, baring her shoulders. R.J. was still fully clothed and wearing his jacket. They didn't get up when Xander and Angel walked in.  
  
"Xander! Angel, hi. This is R.J." Buffy said innocently.  
  
"Hey, guys. It's called knocking." R.J. said.  
  
"I'm sorry. It's just: checkout time was an hour ago. We were hoping to make up the bed. Also, it's a classroom, you chowder-head! Now get off the boy, Buffy. We're going home." Xander said.  
  
Buffy hopped down and fixed her shirt. She breezed out as if Angel hadn't just walked in on her and another guy. Angel's face was nothing but a mask of hurt and fury. Xander didn't really know what to think. All he knew was to keep Angel from killing the boy in the classroom. 


	24. Him part 3

Chapter 24  
  
Angel, Conner, Willow, Xander, and Anya stood in the dining room looking at Buffy and a crying Dawn. Angel was still hurt, but he knew it wasn't Buffy's fault. There was something making her do this.  
  
"It's a spell." Angel said. "I smelled it when we walked in the room."  
  
"You can smell spells?" Willow asked.  
  
"It's like burnt atmosphere. You know, like after lightning."  
  
"And you smelled it when you were in there?" Xander asked.  
  
"Yeah. It was coming off of that kid, R.J."  
  
"But Mom's going to be fine, right? I mean, she's not going to be going after R.J. like some sad puppy?" Conner asked.  
  
"Once we figure out what spell's been used on her." Xander said. "Which, hopefully, will be soon."  
  
"Are you ok?" Willow asked, pulling Angel into the kitchen.  
  
"I'm fine. The spell only works on women obviously."  
  
"No, I meant.. You walked in on Buffy, the love of your life, about to do some other guy."  
  
"I don't know exactly what I feel Willow. I love her so much it hurts sometimes. A part of me wants to be so angry with her that I'll never forgive her. But a bigger part of me says that it was just a spell that's making her crazy. And a small part of me says I deserve this."  
  
"Why? Why would you deserve Buffy cheating on you?" Angel looked Willow in the eyes, trying to get the point that he was caught kissing another woman. "Oh. You mean that Gwen girl."  
  
"Yeah. Buffy walked in on her kissing me. It's only fair that she should go for some other guy."  
  
"Angel, no it's not. Don't ever, EVER think that way about Buffy. She would never do that to you. You're the one person she would never.. COULD never do that to. If it weren't for you, who knows how depressed she would be right now. Hell, she might even be dead. Before you came back into her life, she was a train wreck. Sleeping with Spike, not talking to us.. She had shut down completely. When you left her after graduation and those years afterwards, she had shut down enough to lock out anyone who was willing to love her. The one thing that made her smile truly was when she saw you. She talked to me after you came to visit when her mother died and she was in the best mood I'd ever seen her in. She told me all about your kiss and the way she had missed your arms around her. Then when she found out she was pregnant with YOUR baby, she was beaming. Even though Giles had just left us, she still glowed with more joy than I'd ever seem on anyone. And she's been the old Buffy, the Buffy we all love, ever since. Sure, she has relapses. It's gonna happen. Repercussions of being ripped from heaven back into Sunnydale by her friends. But when she's with you, she's Buffy. We'll figure out how to break this spell. I promise."  
  
Angel stared at Willow for a long moment and then pulled her into a hug. The red headed witch stiffened a little then melted into his embrace and hugged him back. "Thank you Willow. You're the best thing to happen to both Buffy and me."  
  
"Anytime Angel. Not let's get in there and figure out what's gonna get Buffy back."  
  
They walked into the living room where Dawn was still crying. Conner was sitting on the chair while Xander and Anya stood beside Buffy.  
  
"Dawn, please stop crying. Please? Crying isn't going to make his love for me go away, you know." Buffy said.  
  
"Listen, you're under a love spell." Xander said.  
  
"You're right." Buffy turned back to Dawn. "He's right. You're under a spell. Oh, poor little Dawnie."  
  
"But we're working on it. It'll be better soon." Willow said.  
  
"Yes. Soon neither one of you will be in love with this boy." Anya added.  
  
"He's not a boy." Buffy said.  
  
"What do you know about our love? It's true and real. This isn't magic. This is my heart." Dawn said.  
  
"Fine." Anya said.  
  
"We'll be working." Xander said.  
  
"Look, I know this feels terrible, but it isn't real. Try to hold onto that." Willow said.  
  
"Did you hear that? It isn't real. You're just crazy." Buffy said to Dawn.  
  
"It is so real! I love him. You knew how I felt.. like I finally found something, and you betrayed me." Dawn said.  
  
"I betrayed you? You're the one that constructed this elaborate fantasy about you and my lover."  
  
"Your lover? You're lover! You're married!"  
  
"Guys.. Guys.." Willow said.  
  
"I tried to get you to back away." Buffy said.  
  
"That's right! You lied to me!" Dawn said.  
  
"Did you want me to tell you that he's in love with me? That your little crush is hopeless?"  
  
"It's not a crush! Stop. You're not supposed to do this."  
  
"Why? Because he's younger than me? You know, I'm extremely youthful. And peppy."  
  
"No, because you were the one I trusted." Dawn ran upstairs and slammed her door.  
  
"Dawn, wait!" Buffy ran up after her.  
  
Xander, Angel, Willow, and Anya walked into the dining room and started to page through old tomes. Willow booted up her laptop and started researching on the net. Conner came in and started to help after a little bit. Buffy and Dawn yelled at each other upstairs for a little while before stopping.  
  
"Crazy little lust puppies, aren't they?" Anya said.  
  
"Well, at least the yelling went away. It was starting to sound like Christmas morning with my family." Xander said.  
  
"Love spells. People forget how dangerous they can be." Angel said, without looking up from the book he was reading.  
  
"Hey, been there." Xander went off into some little dream world. He came dreamily back with, "Good times."  
  
"Here. Something." Willow said, turning her laptop around. Angel looked up just as Buffy came in.  
  
"She's locked her door. That spell has her good and loopy." Buffy said.  
  
"Info on one R.J. Brooks."  
  
"Oh, lemme see. Is there a picture?"  
  
"Family stuff. Hey, I knew his brother. He was a big jock at Sunnydale High too. Couple years ahead of us. He used to stick chewing gum in my hair. Huh." Xander said.  
  
"What're you thinking?" Willow asked.  
  
"Well, I think my relationship with R.J.'s brother was complex at best, but.. maybe he's a way in."  
  
"Now, look for a picture." Buffy said to Willow.  
  
"Ok, that's it!" Angel stood up. Buffy squealed as Angel lifted her over his shoulder. "Xander, go check out this guys brother."  
  
"Angel, put me down!"  
  
"Buffy, shut up. Willow, keep looking up spells. I'm taking Buffy upstairs."  
  
"What are you gonna do to her?" Willow asked.  
  
"Try and break this spell myself."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'm going with uncle Xander! I don't want to be around for that. I have to put up with that video in Sex Ed. You know, the one where they show the baby being born. And how it was made." Conner said, putting his coat on and heading out after Xander.  
  
"I guess Anya and I are stuck here researching and watching out for the lust puppies. All three of them." Willow said, eyeing Angel.  
  
  
  
"But you don't even know him!" Willow yelled.  
  
"Yes, I do. I looked into him and saw his soul." Anya yelled back.  
  
"He was walking away, so unless his soul was in his ass.."  
  
"A.J. is my best friend and my dearest darling.."  
  
"It's R.J. And what you were picking up on was his deep caring and devotion to me."  
  
Buffy came downstairs with Dawn in tow. "What's going on?"  
  
"Willow thinks she's in love with my boyfriend, R.J." Anya said.  
  
"What? No! You two can't do this." Dawn yelled.  
  
"Willow, you're a gay woman." Buffy said. Willow shrugged. "And he isn't."  
  
"This isn't about his physical presence. It's about his heart." Willow retorted.  
  
"His physical presence has a penis!" Anya yelled.  
  
"I can work around it!"  
  
"This isn't fair! How can you all be doing this to me?" Dawn whined.  
  
"Ok, wait. Everyone wait. Just calm down, ok? I-I think I know what this is. Clearly, you've both been affected by the same love spell that got Dawn." Buffy said.  
  
"Uh! This isn't a spell. He owns my heart. He can't own yours! You're heart's already owned. What happened to Angel?"  
  
"He's.. asleep."  
  
Upstairs:  
  
Angel yanked on the handcuffs, but Buffy had locked his arms in a weird position and he couldn't get enough leverage to break the cuffs. He had had Buffy locked to the bed with the handcuffs and was talking to her about how much he loved her when she tempted him to come over to her. He had gotten on top of her and grasped one of her hands as he started to kiss her. That was when Buffy had locked his wrist in one cuff. She flipped him so he was on bottom and she overpowered him, pulling his other wrist into the other cuff.  
  
"Buffy?! Anyone!?" Angel called, yanking again on the cuffs.  
  
Back Downstairs:  
  
"Now Dawn, be quiet. We're trying to work this out. We don't need you interfering." Buffy said.  
  
"There's a simple answer to this. Just think about who loves him the most. Clearly I do, since I'm willing to look past the whole orientation thing." Willow said.  
  
"I need him." Dawn said.  
  
"Well, you're gonna have to do better than that." Anya said. "I'd kill for him."  
  
"You'd kill for a chocolate bar." Willow scoffed at Anya.  
  
"No. Yes! Kill for him." Buffy said. "I'm the slayer. Slayer means kill. Oh, I'll kill the principal."  
  
"Ooh, that is hard to top." Anya said.  
  
"Yeah, well I have skills. I can prove my love with magic." Willow said.  
  
"Yeah, right. What're you gonna do.. use magic to make him into a girl?" Willow's eyes widened. "Damn."  
  
Willow went upstairs, Anya went out the front door, Buffy went to the living room, and Dawn stood still, leaning against the wall. Buffy came back, turned around to get her jacket from the foyer, and stopped to talk to Dawn.  
  
"Sorry, Dawnie. You're never gonna get him." Buffy said.  
  
"No. Never." Dawn said.  
  
  
  
"Guys?!" Xander called, coming in with Conner behind him. Spike had stayed at the apartment while Faith had been out on patrol and nowhere to be found. "Anyone here?" Xander heard the sounds of banging against the wall upstairs. "I guess mommy and daddy ain't done."  
  
"No, they are. Cause mom's not here." Conner took off up the stairs and into Buffy and Angel's room. "Dad!"  
  
Angel laid on the bad rattling the cuffs against the bars on the bed. "Hey Conner."  
  
"Is this your way of saying I love you?" Xander asked.  
  
"No. Buffy was originally the one chained to the bed, but she managed to escape and chain ME to the bed. Can you get me out? The keys are on the dresser over there."  
  
Xander went and got the keys and undid Angel. "I don't even want to know where you got these things."  
  
"Not mine."  
  
"Don't tell me."  
  
"Willow's doing a spell. I can smell the incense."  
  
They walked into Willow's room. Willow sat on the floor doing some spell. "Oh, Hecate, I call on you. I humbly ask your will be done. Hear my request, a simple change, create a daughter from a s.." Her words were cut off by Xander's hand clamping over her mouth. The crystal's stopped glowing and dropped out of the air. "Oh, man! Now I've gotta start all over. Hecate hates that."  
  
"What the hell are you doing?" Xander asked, taking the cowl of crystals away.  
  
"Proving I love R.J. the most!"  
  
"Will, honey.. R.J.'s a guy."  
  
"I did notice that, yeah. That's why I'm doing my spell, cause, you know, he doesn't have to be. Now, hand me back my crystals. I don't have much time."  
  
"Much time before what?" Angel asked.  
  
"Before Buffy and Anya and Dawn have a chance to prove that they love R.J. the most."  
  
"And how are they gonna do that?"  
  
"Well, Buffy's gonna kill Principal Wood, Anya.."  
  
"Fine, ok, let's start there." Xander said, grabbing Willow and heading out to the convertible. Buffy had taken the van. Anya had taken her car and Dawn had probably walked. Their first stop was the High School. They all got out.  
  
"Willow, do a locater spell and find Dawn." Angel said. "I'm going after Buffy."  
  
Angel walked around to where the Principal's office was. Buffy was there lining up a shot at the window with her rocket launcher. She aimed it, but Angel tackled her before she could shoot, and they fell to the ground. Angel tried to walk away with the rocket launcher, but Buffy tackled him, and again they fell to the ground. Angel ran away with the rocket launcher, and Buffy ran after him. Angel stopped when he got to Xander, Conner, and Willow. Buffy stared at Willow, who was sitting on the ground doing magic.  
  
"Hey! What are you guys doing?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Locator spell. Human variety. Almost done." Willow said.  
  
"Well, I've got a principal to kill. What's going on? Who are we looking for?"  
  
"Dawn." Angel said, disarming the rocket launcher. "I didn't know you still had this thing. Where've you been hiding it?"  
  
"Somewhere. Can I please have that back? It'll just take a sec."  
  
"Buffy, you are not killing the principal."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because it's wrong! You can't tell me your that so stupidly love struck with this spell that you've lost your judgment."  
  
"I have not lost it. I know perfectly well what I'm doing."  
  
"Got her." Willow said. "She's at the Sunnydale Train Yard."  
  
"What's she doing there?" Angel asked.  
  
"Heck if I know." Willow stood up and climbed back into one of the van's second seats. Buffy and Angel climbed in back and Conner and Xander took the front seats. They sped off towards the train yard. The van stopped and they all piled out of the van.  
  
"You realize that Anya's probably seducing R.J. even as we speak." Buffy said.  
  
"My God. You think so?" Willow asked.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't put it past her. She's recently evil, you know."  
  
"Well, so am I. Why should I miss out?"  
  
"Hey, crazy chicks.. look." Xander said.  
  
"Dawn? Dawn!" Buffy ran towards Dawn who was lying on the train tracks awaiting the oncoming train.  
  
A train was in the train yard now. Buffy ran alongside of it, in the same direction towards Dawn. Another train was coming into the yard from the opposite direction. It was on the track Dawn was on. Buffy jumped onto the train beside her and climbed up to the top of the train car. Dawn could tell the train was close to running her over, so she turned her head away, clinched her eyes shut, and waited. Buffy jumped off the train, landing near Dawn. She stood up and grabbed Dawn, pulling her off the tracks just in time, as the train rolled down the tracks where she was only moments before. Buffy and Dawn stood up as Angel got to them.  
  
"What were you doing? I mean, what is this?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It doesn't matter." Dawn said.  
  
"This is the plan? You're gonna steal R.J. by being trisected?!" Angel asked.  
  
"What am I.. gonna compete with you? You're older and hotter and have sex that's rough enough to kill people. I don't have any of that stuff. But if I did this then his whole life he'd know there was someone that loved him so much they'd give up their life."  
  
"Dawn.." Buffy said.  
  
"And it would be true forever."  
  
"No guy is worth your life. Not ever."  
  
"R.J. is. And don't say he isn't. Look what you were willing to do."  
  
"Dawn, I would give him to you in a second if I could. That's how much you're scaring me."  
  
"But I-I thought you wanted him for you."  
  
"Nah. I got Angel. Well, yeah. My God, that boy is hot. Sorry. I think I might be under a spell here." Buffy smiled apologetically at Angel.  
  
"I hear ya." Dawn said.  
  
  
  
"That, my friends, is the smell of sweet, sweet, victory." Xander said, watching the letterman's jacket burn in the fireplace.  
  
"Also, burning cotton-poly blend." Anya said.  
  
"Xander, be honest. You didn't, you know, think about slipping that jacket on just a little bit?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I refuse to answer that on the grounds that it didn't fit." Xander said.  
  
"Man, this tool gets his jacket from his brother, who got it from their father, and we'll never know where he got it. That bites." Anya said.  
  
"Yeah, welcome to the Hellmouth, where even outerwear isn't safe."  
  
"I can't believe I almost.." Willow said.  
  
"I can't believe I almost.." Buffy said.  
  
"It was a spell. You were helpless. We're not responsible for anything we did morally or, you know, legally.." Anya said.  
  
"True. You fell for a mystical, ancient curse. Who hasn't made that mistake seven, eight times?" Xander asked.  
  
"You hear that? Not your fault." Buffy said to Dawn.  
  
"I'm just so.. the way I acted, the way I talked to you. I feel so stupid. All over a spell." Dawn said.  
  
"Get ready to feel even stupider when it's not."  
  
"Hey, Anya, you never told us what you can't believe you almost." Willow said.  
  
"Almost who, now?" Anya asked.  
  
"No, you can't be the only not embarrassed one. What did you do?"  
  
"I, uh, wrote a poem. An epic poem.. comparing him to a daisy and a tower and a lake.."  
  
The radio announcer cut Anya off. "And now the latest on Sunnydale's late- night bandit who is still at large. A masked thief held up a number of large businesses.."  
  
Anya cut the radio off. "Ok, great, ice cream. My treat. Who's coming?" Everyone but Buffy and Angel raised their hands. Anya looked at them questioningly.  
  
"You guys go right one ahead. Just make sure Dawn and Conner are home before eleven." Buffy said. "I have some making up to do."  
  
"Ooohhh." Everyone said, heading out the door.  
  
As soon as they were gone, Buffy walked over and sat on Angel's lap. "I am soo sorry about everything."  
  
"Buffy, it's ok. It was just a spell. Anya's right: You can't be held accountable for your actions under a love spell."  
  
"You're not the leastest bit mad?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"So I don't need to make it up to you?"  
  
"I wouldn't go that far." Angel grabbed Buffy's ass and hauled her up to his waist. She wrapped her legs around him and he carried her upstairs as they kissed passionately. 


	25. Spin the Bottle part 1

Chapter 35  
  
Buffy walked over to the football players gathered on the side of the field. Conner was in the middle being congratulated on his winning touchdown. Angel followed close behind her. Dawn wasn't there because she had gone on a trip to San Diego for one of her clubs that she was with. Xander and Willow were talking to an old friend of theirs somewhere in the stands.  
  
"Conner!" Buffy called.  
  
Conner spotted her and waved to his friends. "Did you see me Mom? Wasn't I awesome!"  
  
Buffy hugged her son. "You were better that awesome! Some might even say NFL material."  
  
"Nah."  
  
"Are you coming with us?"  
  
"When are we leaving?"  
  
"Pretty much now. Our bags are in the car. We brought one for you if you want to go."  
  
"Yeah! Let me get changed."  
  
  
  
Three hours later, Conner, Angel, and Buffy were standing at the Hyperion. Conner ran up to his room and got ready to go out to see Hank while Buffy and Angel talked to Cordy out in the garden.  
  
"How you doing?" Buffy asked.  
  
"You have no idea how much this is killing me. I mean, I know my ABC's, my history, I know who's President, and that I sorta wish I didn't. I know the name of every shoe store in the Beverly Center, but I don't.. I don't even recognize the sound of my own name." Cordy said, starting to cry.  
  
"We'll get you back. No matter what. I promise you, we will get you back." Buffy said, sitting beside Cordy.  
  
Lorne walked into the garden excitedly. "What's all this 'we', Blondie? I'm the one out there doing all the legwork.. well, it's really more lap- work cause guess what just fell into it." Lorne held an opaque ceramic bottle with a cork in the top.  
  
"What?" Cordy asked.  
  
"A memory spell, provided by one of my clients, that is guaranteed to bring our Cordy back to the way she was."  
  
"Guaranteed?" Angel asked.  
  
"No pain, no side-effects. I'm telling you, swingers, there's no way this can fail."  
  
"Where'd you get it? Tara and Giles both used to say that memory spells are dangerous." Buffy said.  
  
"I had it off this wraith.. sweet girl.. not overly tangible.. but she deals in memory spells professionally. Now she swears up and down that with the right mix, we can stop this talking and cut to the Cordelia Chase in two ticks of a.. ticking thing."  
  
"I don't know. Spells.. I don't trust them." Angel said.  
  
"And I don't care." Cordy said, standing. "I'm in."  
  
"Cordy, I just.."  
  
"I don't care. Pain, side effects, this thing turns me into a mousaka.. I'm happy. As long as I can remember I'm a mousaka."  
  
"Don't even worry about it, princess. I've got all the ingredients lined up. As soon as we gather the seven, we'll be good to go." Lorne said.  
  
"The seven what?" Buffy asked following Cordy and Lorne. "People? Not my son! I want to keep him AWAY from the magicks. Far away."  
  
"Trust me cupcakes, your son's going to have nothing to do with this."  
  
"Then who?"  
  
  
  
Conner had left, promising that he would come back in a couple of hours. He and Buffy's father had gotten pretty close and Hank had come to think of him as a son. Buffy was going to have to tell Hank the truth about Conner one day.  
  
"Did I miss the spell? Did English go away?" Wesley asked, walking in. Fred had just said something in another language.  
  
"Wesley!" Buffy said, almost startled.  
  
"No, it's Pylean, crumpet. I said, 'I may be prepared to shout a joyful chant.'" Lorne said.  
  
"And I said, 'May your words please the gods.'" Fred said.  
  
"Are you all right? Did you..?" Wesley asked quietly to Fred.  
  
"It's done."  
  
Gunn watched them from the office. Buffy noticed and walked up to him. "Hey."  
  
"What?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Jesus Gunn! What's the matter with you? Cordy says that you and Fred have been hiding in your room all week."  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"No, it's something. Because I've been through that something."  
  
"You have no idea what I'm going through."  
  
"I do. Gunn, I may be blonde, but I'm not blind. I know you killed that professor. I could see it in your eyes. Trust me, I've been there. There was twice that I've been involved in someone's murder. Once it was only a spell, but I know what it's like to feel after you've killed a person."  
  
"And the other?"  
  
"I stood by and watched and I saw what it did to my friend. I don't need to see you going through that. You think I haven't been through enough in the last year? I don't need to lose two more friends. Now don't you ever tell Angel I said this. Don't tell ANYONE that I said this. What you did to that professor? He deserved it."  
  
"How can you say that?"  
  
"Because I'm not the same Buffy I once was. I've changed, some might say for the worst. I'm never going to let Angel know that. Or Conner. Or Dawn. The things that have happened to me.. I can't bare them. I haven't been the same since I was brought back. Maybe it was something in the spell. I don't know. But I'm not going to give into my darkness. I have too much to lose if I do. And so do you." With that, Buffy walked out. Angel came up to her and they embraced, Buffy looking as if she hadn't just admitted that she was rooting for the professor's death.  
  
"Are you ready to do this?" Angel asked.  
  
"I guess."  
  
"Ok kiddies. Let's go." Lorne said. As Lorne started the spell, all seven people sat on the floor, arranged around the symbol Lorne had painted earlier. They were all holding hands, with candles lit in front of them. Clockwise from Lorne, it was Angel, Buffy, Cordy, Gunn, Fred, and Wesley. "Ok, eyes on the bottle. We come in supplication and hope. Bring her back." The bottle started to move and to dance around the center of the circle. Suddenly, magical amber light streamed out of the bottle, and a stream headed for each person there. When the light stopped, the bottle fell over and spun in the center of the circle.  
  
"What's going on?" Cordy asked.  
  
"I feel a little.." Lorne started as he crawled away.  
  
Buffy's head swam as the circle was broken. She felt as if she were stoned and drunk at the same time. Her hand made little trails in front of her face.  
  
"What's happening to us?" Gunn asked.  
  
"This is important. It's so beautiful.." Fred said, examining a plant before puking in it.  
  
Gunn practiced martial arts moves. Wes was still sitting where he was when they had started. "We'll just wait to see if there are any side effects." He said.  
  
"What's happening? We can't just.. we have to.. No!" Cordy smashed the bottle under her foot and the buzz went away.  
  
Buffy looked around in confusion. There were six other people standing around the huge room. She didn't know any of them. "Ok. What the hell is goin' on here?"  
  
"What's your name?" the man with the suit asked the girl with short blonde and brown hair.  
  
"I'm Cordelia Chase, dumb ass. And if this is some sort of sophomore hazing prank where I get doped up and left with a bunch of proto-losers, then my parents are gonna be suing the entire population of Sunnydale. Comprendez?" The girl named Cordelia said.  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" a black man asked.  
  
"It's called kidnapping a minor, hair club for men. And if you think for a second I'm gonna be putting up with this, well, you don't know Cordelia Chase."  
  
Buffy looked over as a tall, dark, and handsome man walked in the room. She muttered under her breath, "Hello, salty goodness." He looked over at her with chocolate brown eyes that were frightened.  
  
"All right. Hang on. You're Cordelia Chase, you're a high school student, you live in Sunnydale?" the black guy asked.  
  
"Right." Cordelia said.  
  
"So who are you?" the suit guy asked.  
  
"I'm the guy that's gonna be kicking a whole mess of ass if somebody don't tell me what's going on." The black guy said.  
  
"What do they call you for short?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Does anyone here recognize anyone?" Suit Guy asked.  
  
"Um, I'm Fred Burkle. I'm also in school in San Anton." The girl named Fred said in a think southern accent.  
  
"Oh, we're both in school. Oh, gosh, let's be best friends so I can lose all my cool ones." Cordelia said.  
  
"There's no need to be snippety, Miss." Suit Guy said.  
  
"This is a clarion call for snippety, Princess Charles." Buffy said harshly.  
  
"It's Wesley, thank you. Wyndham-Pryce. I am from the Watcher's Academy in southern Hampshire. In fact, I happen to be head boy." Suit Guy said.  
  
"Gee, I wonder how you earned that nickname."  
  
"A lot of effort, I don't mind saying."  
  
"Who are you?" Cordelia asked.  
  
"Buffy Summers."  
  
"Where are you from?"  
  
"LA. I'm a freshman from Hemery High."  
  
"LA! Really? I've always wanted to live there."  
  
"It's ok. Do you know any of these freaks?"  
  
"Not a one. You're the only one I want to get to know. Everyone else here seems like total losers. Oh, and you can call me Cordy."  
  
"You can call me Buffy. Everyone else does." Buffy said, hoping that this girl didn't see that honey guy on the steps.  
  
"Gunn." The black guy said.  
  
"Where?" Wesley asked, ducking.  
  
"Me. That's my name. The short version." Gunn said.  
  
"Ah. What school do you attend?" Gunn rolled his eyes at Wesley.  
  
"So, we've heard from the socially handi-capable. What's your story?" Buffy asked the guy on the steps.  
  
"Mad." He said. "You're all mad. These clothes. Your speech. This place. What land is this?"  
  
"What land is it supposed to be?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Yes, where do you hail from, friend?" Wesley asked.  
  
"I'm not your friend, you English pig. We never wanted you in Ireland. We don't want you now." Hottie said.  
  
"You Irish?" Gunn asked.  
  
"You don't sound Irish." Cordelia said.  
  
"For most certain, I sound exactly.." Hottie held a hand to his throat. "Something is wrong with my voice."  
  
"Well, what's your name?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Liam."  
  
"Great. We've all got names." Cordy said, walking towards the door and pulling Buffy along. "Bye, now."  
  
"I wouldn't be so quick, Miss Chase and Miss Summers, to leave. Clearly, we're all victims of some nefarious scheme." Wesley said. "I'll lay odds that that door is bolted shut. And who knows what peril lies outside it."  
  
"English pig. English pig?" Liam said to himself on the stairs.  
  
"Before we do anything, I suggest we gather as much information as we can."  
  
"And I suggest we gather some cops." Cordy said.  
  
"Yo.. I don't want no heat near me." Gunn said.  
  
"Hell with this! LAPD sucks." Buffy said.  
  
"I don't think we should call the police anyhow. I mean, they're probably involved." Fred said.  
  
"In what?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Don't y'all think this is some kind of government conspiracy? Cause my friend, Levon, says the government's always taking kids and experimentin' on 'em. Did anybody else have to take a personality disorder test recently? They ask you about politics and your bowel movements and if you want to be a florist.."  
  
"Ok. We've heard from Scarlet O-Please-Shut-Me-Up. Does anyone sane have a theory?" Cordy asked.  
  
"There's conspiracies and stuff. Y'all don't even know.."  
  
"I got no problem with the idea that the man is messing with us." Gunn said.  
  
"The important thing is to start with the facts. We're all from different cities, we're all of an age.." Wesley said, rubbing his chin. "Judging from the amount of facial hair I've grown, we've all been unconscious for at least a month."  
  
"Oh, God. Oh, God. My hair. My hair. The government gave me bad hair." Cordy said, starting to cry.  
  
"No, no, it's nice." Buffy said.  
  
"Yes, it's, uh, just the thing." Wesley said.  
  
"Are you sure?" Cordy asked.  
  
"It's..eh..very attractive. But a clue, nonetheless. Perhaps the whole point of this experiment is hair.."  
  
Wesley was cut off by Buffy starting to scream. "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" She held her hair in her hands. "Where'd it go! OH MY GOD NO! PLEASE!"  
  
"What's the matter?" Liam asked, scooting over to Buffy who was sitting on the stairs.  
  
"My hair! It's gone!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's SHORT! I hate the government!" Buffy started to cry.  
  
Liam put his arm around Buffy's shoulders and let her cry on his shoulder. "It's the devil." He said.  
  
"My hair?" Buffy sobbed.  
  
"My father said I was a sinner, that I'd come to a bad end. Now I've come to hell."  
  
"Well, hell's a lot nicer than my place." Gunn said.  
  
"It appears to be some sort of hotel." Wesley said.  
  
"Well, maybe it's Motel Hell." Fred said, giggling and snorting.  
  
"Well, let's get the lay of the place."  
  
"Don't be giving me orders. I run my own crew." Gunn snapped.  
  
"I'm sure your seafaring adventures are very interesting, but I have experience of things you couldn't imagine. I'm not head boy for nothing."  
  
"You 'bout to be headless boy, you don't get out my face."  
  
"Intimidation. Ha. Ha. Points for effort. Perhaps a little kar-ate technique will put you in your place." Wesley did a pretty bad demonstration of karate martial arts. When he bent down his wrist, a dagger shot out of his forearm. Wesley gasped and jumped back.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Cordy asked.  
  
"A clue?"  
  
"Was that a wooden stake you got?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Apparently, yes. Which changes the scenario quite a bit."  
  
Fred tried karate moves of her own and inspected her hands. "I didn't get one."  
  
"Nobody got one except English, here. Why's that?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I don't know. I suggest we look about for weapons of some kind." Wesley said.  
  
"Yeah, that part works."  
  
Fred and Gunn walked around to the back of the front counter. Fred screamed when Wesley's concealed weapon started going haywire. The sword came out, but it was too unwieldy for him.  
  
"Aah!" Wesley cried. He finally got his weapon under control. "All right. Nobody scream. Or touch my arms."  
  
"Well, I think I found another clue." Fred said.  
  
"She's not wrong." Gunn said.  
  
"Ok, this is even less funny. What the hell is that?" Cordy asked. They had found a green guy in a flashy suit passed out on the floor. Liam stood and helped Buffy to stand. She clung to his arm and he held his out like a gentleman.  
  
"I knew it. It's the devil." Liam said, looking at the green man.  
  
"Why is the devil sleepy?" Fred asked.  
  
"Let's get it over to that chair thing over there and tie it up." Wesley said, picking up the demon's legs and dragging him over. Fred found duct tape and handed it to Wesley. He started to tape the demon thing to the chair.  
  
"I say we cut his head off." Gunn said.  
  
"He may have information we need. When he wakes up.."  
  
"When he wakes up, we don't even know if this tape is gonna hold him. I say we cut his damn head off."  
  
"Thank you very much, Marie Antoinette."  
  
"What'd you call me?"  
  
"Hey. Hey, you two want to stop the homoerotic buddy cop session long enough to explain this. Wooden stakes. A guy with horns. And neither of you seems that surprised when things just keep getting weirder." Cordy said.  
  
"They really are." Buffy said as she and Liam found a cabinet full of old weapons.  
  
"All right. I'm going to let you all in on something you may have trouble comprehending. I assure you that however.." Wesley started.  
  
Gunn cut him off. "Vampires are real."  
  
"I was telling!"  
  
"Vampires are all over L.A. I've been fighting 'em my whole life."  
  
"That creature's a vampire?" Liam asked.  
  
"No, I ain't never seen nothin' like that."  
  
"I have." Wesley said. "Oh. It's.. a demon. Probably of the Karathmama..nyuhg family. You see? Some of us have slightly broader experience."  
  
"How do you kill it?"  
  
"Well, I know this breed is nocturnal and feeds on roots or possibly human effluvia, and, uh, it's a horned race.."  
  
"So you know jack?"  
  
"They're nocturnal."  
  
"I'm gonna get me one of them axes."  
  
"Hold on."  
  
"Hey! Don't matter what it is. It looks wrong, it dies."  
  
Wesley grabbed Gunn's arm to stop him. "Not 'til we find out.." Gunn grabbed Wesley's neck from behind. "Oh, quit it!" Wesley grabbed Gunn's ear.  
  
"Oh, get off my.."  
  
"Watch the arm. Watch the arm!"  
  
"Aren't you gonna get in there and stop them?" Buffy asked Liam.  
  
"It's about time the English got what's coming to them. I'm rooting for the slave."  
  
Cordy broke the fight up. "Enough, ok. If head cheese here has a theory, then let's hear it."  
  
"There are stories at the Watcher's Academy of a test. A secret gauntlet which only the most cunning can survive. You're locked in a house with a vicious, deadly vampire, and you have to kill him before he kills you. It's been done in the past with slayers." Wesley said.  
  
"Slayer? The band?" Fred asked.  
  
"No, it.. The point is: this could be a test.. the weapons, the maze-like locale, the innocent civilians, and the mysterious Karathmama..nyuhg demon. This is a test!"  
  
"I ain't a civilian. I've been killing vamps since I was twelve." Gunn said.  
  
"Which only supports my theory. You must be here in an advisory capacity."  
  
"I think I'm here in a 'chop that green bitch's head off' capacity, and I don't give a damn about no test!"  
  
"Are you always this grouchy?" Fred asked.  
  
"Only when I wake up with a bunch of insane white folks trying to tell me what to do. The day I take orders from guys like you is the day I.. not even gonna happen."  
  
"Keep explaining why we're not walking out that door?" Cordy said.  
  
"Because they did something to us. They changed us." Liam said.  
  
"You mean, this is about my hair?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I sorta see his point. Not one of y'all looks exactly sixteen. It's like time's been pushed forward, like we missed a bunch of years." Fred said.  
  
Everyone started inspecting their bodies. Liam looked Buffy up and down as she did the same to him. Cordy felt her breasts and moved them up and down. "I kinda have filled out even more." She said.  
  
"And I apparently ain't gonna." Fred said.  
  
"I feel cold.. inside." Liam said.  
  
"This is so unfair! I'm a craggy 20-something? What about prom?!" Cordy asked.  
  
"Oh my God! I still need a date!" Buffy said.  
  
"What's a prom?" Liam asked her.  
  
"It's this huge formal thing. You get all, like, dressed up and stuff and you go hang with your friends and dance and stuff."  
  
"Oh! I like dances."  
  
"Really? How do you look in a tux?"  
  
"Tux?"  
  
"Never mind. I think you'll look damn fine. Wanna go?"  
  
"Could be that demon put a whammy on us." Gunn said, interrupting Liam's response.  
  
"So, you think, if we kill this vampire, they take off the spell whammy and we can go back to being ourselves?" Fred asked.  
  
"And never see each other again?" Cordy asked.  
  
"I believe we can all just go about our business." Wesley said.  
  
"And never see each other again?"  
  
"Great. So we go vamp hunting." Gunn said. He went to the weapons cabinet to select an axe. "This place looks pretty big. I say three groups."  
  
"Great. I'll go with tall, dark, and slightly less pathetic than you two here." Buffy said, holding onto Liam. "We'll try the rooms."  
  
Liam chose a sword for himself and picked up a stake for Buffy. She took it from him and they all split into their groups. Gunn and Cordy went together. Fred and Wesley went together. Liam and Buffy went together.  
  
"We'll look downstairs, but remember, if you find the vampire, it is a vicious animal. Just try to draw it in toward us. Don't worry. We'll win this day, I assure you." Wesley said.  
  
"I'm ready. I'm ok. Be cooler if we could score some weed, though." Fred said.  
  
They all walked away and headed for their designated search areas. 


	26. Spin the Bottle part 2

Chapter 26  
  
Buffy was walking behind Liam down the hallway. She had a stake in one hand. They heard music coming from a radio in one of the rooms.  
  
"God, there's like a million rooms." Buffy said.  
  
"Minstrels." Liam said, walking into the room and poking the radio with his sword. Buffy walked up and turned the stereo off. "How did..? You stopped the tiny men from singing."  
  
"You really are far from home, aren't you?"  
  
"I tell ya, I get through this, I'm gonna have a great cup of ale. I don't care what father says it does to you."  
  
"Maybe we should just sit tight and let the vampire experts deal with this thing."  
  
"Sorry for acting so womanish."  
  
"Oh, you're no.." Buffy rubbed his arm. "Really not womanish."  
  
"You're very sweet."  
  
"You don't know the half of it. What is it about danger that makes.. makes your blood just.." Liam shifted on the bed and she turned to him. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing. Excuse me." Liam got up and ran into the bathroom. Buffy sat there and stared at the door. Suddenly, Liam came back out. "I'm invisible."  
  
"No you're not."  
  
"Oh. Excuse me." Liam went back in.  
  
Buffy walked up to the door. "What's going on?"  
  
"Uh, I'm almost finished."  
  
Buffy picked up a glass vase and started to inspect it. Suddenly it shattered in her hand. Buffy gasped and noticed that it hadn't hurt her hands. Then it hit her that she had crushed it. "Oh my God." She inspected her hand. *Nothing wrong with it. Could us a manicure though.* she thought. Buffy looked at the sword and picked it up without any effort. She stared at it in shock and then poked the wall. The sword went right through. She squeaked and yanked it back out, no effort there again. "Oh no! I'm a vampire!"  
  
Liam came back out of the bathroom. "Are you all right? I heard a noise."  
  
"I'm fine." Buffy dropped the sword on the bed. "Let's get out of here."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
They walked around a little more. Buffy tried not to grasp onto Liam, afraid she would hurt him. She wasn't going to let anyone know that she was a vampire. She had strength bigger than one of those huge muscle-y men on TV.  
  
Liam stared down at the beautiful blonde at his side. He made sure not to look at her neck because his face would change. He didn't want this beauty to know that she was with a vampire. She might run off and he didn't want that. They walked down into the big room where they had all first met each other. Everyone was already there.  
  
"Any luck?" Wesley asked.  
  
"We saw no vampires of any kind anywhere." Liam said as Buffy said, "Nothing! No vampires here."  
  
"Did you check every room?"  
  
"Only the ones that wanted turn-down service. There's five floors. You can finish." Buffy said.  
  
"It's a waste of time." Gunn said.  
  
"I agree. There's nothing here. This place is evil, and I think that I should leave now because of evil." Liam backed towards the doors.  
  
"Don't be a fool!" Wesley said, going after him.  
  
"Good luck, all." With that, Liam was gone.  
  
"So, we're all locked in, huh?" Gunn asked.  
  
Buffy whimpered and looked out after Liam. She had scared him away with her freakish strength! And she really was attracted to this guy. There was something about him. Buffy pretended not to be hurt and wigged. "Excuse me? Did I just get the brush off? Did a guy just bail on me? There really is some sort of horrible spell." Buffy paused. "Do you think Liam's ok out there?"  
  
"If something's eating him, at least ain't as bored as me." Gunn said.  
  
"Joke all you like. Liam, right now, may be facing horrors he's never even imagined." Wesley said.  
  
Suddenly, Liam burst back through the doors. Buffy sat up a little. "Liam!"  
  
"Demons!" Liam cried.  
  
"Really?" Wesley asked. Then to Gunn. "Told you." Gunn stood, axe ready. Wesley turned back to Liam. "How many?"  
  
"Hundreds. Screaming."  
  
"Will they try to get in?" Fred asked.  
  
"Don't think they saw me."  
  
"I guess you really better solve this puzzle and all."  
  
"What type of demons, would you say?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Shiny." Liam answered, sitting by Buffy on the couch.  
  
"You left me." Buffy said to him.  
  
"I'm sorry. I panicked. Did they harm you?"  
  
"No. I'm better now that you're back. And that isn't just a come on line. For some reason I feel really.. Comfortable with you."  
  
"And I you. I've never felt this way before about a woman. And what a woman you are."  
  
"Thank you." Buffy and Liam scooted closer together on the couch and held hands.  
  
"Ok, to interrupt the love fest.. Do we have to check the rest of the rooms? Cause I'm bored just saying it." Cordy said.  
  
"Wouldn't the vampire be comin' after us anyhow? Aren't we vittles?" Fred asked.  
  
"And he should be starving, by rule. But I also happen to think that further searching would be pointless. I think the Council has been far cleverer than I imagined." Wesley said.  
  
"Ooh. How?"  
  
"Yes, speech, speech." Gunn said sarcastically.  
  
"Six people, each unknown to each other, far from home, trapped together at night.. I submit that the blood-sucking fiend may be closer than we dared suspect. That it may be.."  
  
"I'll search the rooms." Liam said, standing suddenly and bringing Buffy with him.  
  
"I was getting to the good part!"  
  
"But we can't just wait for the vampire to appear. I'll just flush him out.."  
  
"That it may be one of us." Wesley finished.  
  
"Uh.. you're kidding." Buffy said a little jumpy. "I'll go with Liam!"  
  
"Would that I were, Miss Summers, but the simple fact is.. the fiend has been under our noses the entire time, waiting for the moment to.." Wesley took a cross out of his breast pocket, and put it in Gunn's face. "Strike!" Gunn punched Wesley in the face and he fell to the ground.  
  
"See?" Liam said with a laugh. "The English is stupid. Let's have a different theory."  
  
"I'm not quite finished. I think it's only fair that everybody have a turn. The cross obviously doesn't affect me or our friend, the pugilist."  
  
"Oh, your ass better pray I don't look that word up." Gunn said.  
  
Cordelia took the cross and waved it around in front of her. She scoffed and tossed the cross to Fred. Fred scanned her body with the cross like a security guard would with a metal detector at the airport. She handed the cross to Buffy, who took it nervously. When nothing happened, she breathed a sigh of relief. She handed the cross to Liam. He held onto the cross tightly.  
  
"See. No vampire here. I'm just like the rest of you." Liam said.  
  
"Does anyone else here.." Fred started, but Liam cut her off.  
  
"Look, the devil's awake."  
  
Everyone turned to look at the green guy. They all moved towards it.  
  
"Don't get too close." Wesley said.  
  
"Ooh..Oh..Guys, hey, that was quite a whammy. A little trip through the transitive nightfall of diamonds, if you know what I mean. I certainly don't, but.." The green guy started.  
  
Liam cut him off. "He speaks madness."  
  
"Hey, here's a funny sidebar. I'm tied to a chair.. again! What the hell's going on?"  
  
"We were hoping you would enlighten us, spawn of evil." Wesley said.  
  
"Oh, dear. I'm starting to suspect my surefire hit spell closed out of town. Did anything go right? Anything? Did Cordy at least get her memory back?"  
  
"Just tell us where the vampire is, fiend."  
  
"What are you talking about? There aren't any vampires here. Well, I mean, except for our boy here." The green guy said, motioning towards Angel.  
  
"Uh, lying devil man." Liam said.  
  
"Oh, like my spell made you not a vampire anymore. My magic isn't that.."  
  
"Shut your mouth." Liam punched the green guy in the face.  
  
The green guy was punched so hard, it sent him and the chair he was tied to sliding across the floor. Gunn wielded the battle-axe and pushed Fred behind him and out of the way. She wandered over to where Wesley and Cordelia were. Buffy stared in shock at Liam.  
  
"It's not.. He just.." Liam tried.  
  
"Well, our mystery solved." Wesley said.  
  
"Explains the lame-ass cover story about being Irish, too." Gunn said.  
  
"Is this a convenient time to point out that you left me alone with him, genius?" Buffy asked Wesley, stepping away.  
  
"Well, I-I never touched her." Liam said.  
  
"You lied to me!" Buffy said to Liam.  
  
"I did not."  
  
"You did. You didn't tell me you were a vampire."  
  
"I thought you would be scared."  
  
"Damn right!" Buffy stepped up and punched Liam hard in the face. He went flying back and tripped on the steps behind him. She turned back around, a little shocked, and was just in time to catch the axe flying at her head. Gunn had thrown it at Liam, but hadn't meant to nearly hit Buffy. She screamed and threw the axe down. "Oh my God! You threw an AXE at my HEAD!"  
  
"I didn't mean to!" Gunn said. "I was throwing it at the vampire."  
  
"YOU threw an AXE at my HEAD!"  
  
"And you caught it." Wesley said.  
  
"So?"  
  
"Well, you're not a vampire."  
  
"Duh!"  
  
"The only explanation is that you are the Vampire Slayer."  
  
"What?! I'm that thing that you were talking about in that test thing?"  
  
"Most obviously so."  
  
"No way! I can't be! Look at me! I'm.. I'm a cheerleader! I'm a freshman in High School! I'm POPULAR! I can't be a Vampire Slayer."  
  
"Correction, THE Slayer."  
  
"And he's a vampire?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then she should slay him. You said she's a Vampire Slayer."  
  
"I don't want to! He's nice. He didn't hurt me." Buffy said.  
  
"Vampires are all the same, my friend. There's nothing human about them." Wesley said.  
  
"That's right. You ain't a person. Just dust waitin' to happen." Gunn said to Liam.  
  
"I don't wanna hurt anyone." Liam said.  
  
"What do we do?" Fred asked.  
  
"Don't fear. It's under control." Wesley said.  
  
Fred grabbed Wesley's arm. "Are you sure?"  
  
A stake flew out of Wesley's arm thing and hit Liam in the side. "Sorry. I mean, ha!" Liam vamped out and started fighting with Gunn. He wrestled the axe away from Gunn and threw him across the room. Angel turned toward Wes, Fred, Buffy, and Cordelia in vamp face. Cordelia went to hide behind the chair Lorne was tied to. Fred cowered behind Wesley. Buffy stood staring at Liam.  
  
"You want a vampire, then? I guess I'm your man. I guess I'll start feeding on your corpses. Startin' with the girls. So, who's gonna be the first course? Hard to choose between you three girls." Liam said.  
  
"What do you mean, it's hard?" Cordy asked. "I mean, she's the tasty one." She pointed to Fred. "Look at her. Half of her is neck. A-a-a-and Buffy's a Slayer. You WANT to kill her."  
  
"Miss Chase, Miss Burkle, Miss Summers.. run." Wesley said.  
  
"But.." Buffy started.  
  
"You're not trained obviously. Just go."  
  
Buffy took off and found a large room down a creepy hall. She could hear the sounds of a fight in the lobby, but she didn't care. She threw herself behind some boxes as Liam walked in.  
  
"It baffles me. You liked me so much before, and now I can't even get a little kiss. I can see you." Liam said. Buffy tried to make a run for it, but Liam caught her. He held her in front of him by her upper arms. "I seem to be strong, too, and fast. It's not so bad, this vampire thing."  
  
"Well, I've got a super power of my own, hot shot. Remember?" Buffy said.  
  
"What's that now?"  
  
Buffy kicked him in the shin and took off a little further. Liam came after her and grabbed her again. As he held her, someone came from nowhere and tackled them through a window. They all went falling to the floor in a large kitchen. The someone who had attacked was a tall male that looked to be about seventeen. Buffy and the teen stood.  
  
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Buffy said to him.  
  
"Why did he attack you Mom?" the teen asked.  
  
Buffy started to laugh. "Mom?" She laughed harder. "Mom!?" Buffy nearly fell she was laughing so hard. "You think.. Oh man, this hurts my side! You think I'm your.." Another fit of laughter took Buffy over.  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"I'm fine, but you think.." She started to laugh again.  
  
"Yeah, and that's your husband, my dad." The teen said, pointing at Liam.  
  
"Kid, I'm too young to be a mom. Look at me!"  
  
"It's a long story. But trust me.." Buffy shoved the teen away as Liam swung at her. Buffy blocked the punch with amazement and then shoved Liam back.  
  
"Think I'm a bit tired of being bullied." Liam said.  
  
Buffy attacked again, letting the instinct that overwhelmed her take over. She and Liam exchanged a few more punches and kicks before he broke off and stared at her.  
  
"You're stronger than the rest. Are you not a vampire yourself, then?" Liam asked her.  
  
"I'm a Slayer dumb ass. Weren't you listening?" Buffy retorted.  
  
"You two don't remember?" the teen asked.  
  
"I remember waking up here in this madhouse with that fine lot of hypocrites." Liam said.  
  
"Hypocrites?!"  
  
"I'm supposed to be evil, but you attack me without cause. You all gang up on me because I'm different. They're as bad as my father."  
  
"Fathers. Don't they suck? My Dad's pretty bad too."  
  
"Say one thing, then.. 'Be good. Fear God. Do as you're told.' And the whole while I know good and well, he's had his share of sinning."  
  
"Sounds kinda like my dad." Buffy sat down next to Liam.  
  
"Is he a self-righteous bastard?"  
  
"You'd be amazed. Hey, I'm sorry I attacked you. It was just something in me that told me to."  
  
"I got the same feeling."  
  
"Are you afraid to fight me?"  
  
"Truth to tell, I'm not much for fighting. I'd rather be satisfying my sinful urges with you."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Look at you! You're a beauty you are."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Hey, what do these rings mean?" Buffy asked, holding up the ring on her left finger. "That kid over there says that we're, like, married and he's our kid."  
  
Liam took Buffy's hand and looked at the ring. "That's a Claddagh."  
  
"A whadda?"  
  
"It's a sign of devotion. The hands mean friendship, the crown means loyalty, and the heart means love. The way you have it, it means you're married." Liam looked down at his left hand. "And so do I."  
  
"Maybe that's why we're all 'Hey..'"  
  
"But that child, ours?"  
  
"He does look a lot like you." Buffy looked at the kid. 'Hey kid, come here."  
  
The kid started to walk over, but Fred stuck her head through a window. "Hold it. Nobody kill anybody. Please?"  
  
"What is it?" Liam called.  
  
"I think I may have something that can help you remember each other." Liam and Buffy stood up and walked out of the kitchen with the teen. They followed Fred out to the lobby.  
  
  
  
"Is she going to be all right?" Buffy asked, talking about Cordy.  
  
"Just give her some time. She'll come around." Wesley said. "Just go home and take care of Sunnydale. Dawn will be home today."  
  
Angel turned to Gunn. "Call us if anything happens."  
  
"You got it." Gunn said.  
  
Buffy and Angel took one final look up the stairs and walked out to the van where Conner waited. None of them really wanted to leave, but they had to. Wesley was right, Dawn was coming home that afternoon and Buffy had to be there. Angel would never leave her alone, so he chose to go back with Buffy and Conner. They looked up at Cordy's window, but the light was off and no one was looking out over LA as the two champions and their son drove away. 


	27. Conversations With Dead People part 1

Chapter 27  
  
Buffy walked through the graveyard towards the grave that she was looking for on Tuesday night. A new vampire was going to rise in Sunnydale and she had to be there to stop him. Her mind wasn't really on the job at hand though. It was more on Cordy and how she was doing. Gunn had called earlier and said that she still hadn't come out of her room. Buffy knelt beside the grave just as a hand popped up.  
  
"Here we go."  
  
  
  
Angel sat in the mansion writing. He had started this habit ever since he had found out he was going to be a father. He wanted to write down everything so Conner would know what it was like with his parents when he was a baby. Even after Conner had grown, Angel hadn't stopped. He went to a private spot, pulled out his journal, and started to write. Sometimes he would draw a picture of Buffy or Conner. Maybe even both if he had the energy. Later, Angel was supposed to meet Buffy for coffee at the Espresso Pump. He looked down and started to write.  
  
  
  
Dawn and Conner walked into the house and set their bags down. Dawn walked over to a shelf and found the note from Buffy.  
  
Will, Angel, and I are out until late. Here's money for the store. NO PIZZA! Love you, Buffy/Mom  
  
Didn't stop Conner or Dawn. 45 minutes later they had music blaring and a hot pizza laying on the island in the kitchen.  
  
"Anchovies, anchovies, you're so delicious. I love you more than all the other fishes." Dawn sang.  
  
"You're gross." Conner said. "Nothing but cheese here."  
  
"You're too plain. Mama's boy."  
  
"Little girl."  
  
"Jock."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To look at clothes." Dawn walked upstairs.  
  
  
  
Buffy fought with the new vampire. He was pretty strong and a pretty good fighter. No matter, she was NOT going to lose this. She had too much to think about to die. Conner, Angel, Dawn, Cordelia, Faith, Spike, Xander, Willow, Gunn, Fred, and Wesley. They swam through her mind as she fought the vampire.  
  
  
  
Dawn and Conner were listening to Mexican music and dancing around the kitchen. Dawn got a jumbo marshmallow out of the cabinet and put it into the microwave on a little plate. While heating up, the marshmallow started to swell and expand. Dawn seemed impressed.  
  
"Cool." She said.  
  
"What the hell?" Conner asked.  
  
Suddenly a noise made them both jump. They both brushed it off and walked into the living room with the phone. Conner turned the TV on while Dawn called Kit. Dawn sat talking on the cordless phone, sitting in front of the television, eating gooey marshmallow with Conner. An old black and white movie was playing on TV.  
  
"Oh, come on. She is so dead. Well, he's clearly a psychopath. Is so. What? No, that is not Tom Hanks. Well, what channel are you on?" Dawn asked. There was a knock. "Ok, there it is again. I keep hearing this, like, thumping." Conner muted the television. Knock! Knock! "No, I-I can't tell if it's.."  
  
The front door flew open. Conner went to investigate and a strong wind was blowing into the house. He struggled to shut the door.  
  
"Kit, are you there? Is there a storm?"  
  
Suddenly, the television was un-muted, playing loudly. Dawn tried to mute it again, but the remote control button didn't have any effect. She tried the power button on the television itself, but it didn't work either. Finally, she tried to unplug it, but the old movie still played with the cord out of the wall. Dawn's eyes grew wide with fear. Conner came over and stood next to her.  
  
  
  
'My father would be proud of the family I've got.' Angel wrote. 'I know I've written this thousands of times before, but I have the most wonderfully beautiful and loving wife anyone could ever ask for. Buffy. Just the name sends tingles down my spine and makes my blood warm. Conner is a great kid. He learns quickly. It's amazing how fast he's picked up mine and Buffy's fighting skills. He's better at school than Buffy and I put together. Now, the real reason I'm writing this is to make sense of what happened in LA Friday night and Saturday morning. That was the creepiest thing that has ever happened to me. I was sixteen again! The strange thing was, I wasn't hitting on all of the women. I was smitten with Buffy. It was like seeing her for the first time again. Our souls really are forever bound. I..' Angel stopped writing as he felt a cold breeze run through the mansion.  
  
"Hello?" Angel called. He put the journal down and checked all the doors and windows. They were all cold. Must have been from the fireplace. He came back into the main room and found a roaring fire going that hadn't been there before. "Ok. This house hasn't been haunted ever since I bought the damn thing. Why are you just now starting?" Angel didn't expect an answer, but he got one.  
  
"I'm not haunting this place son. I just came for a friendly visit."  
  
Angel spun and found his father standing by the fireplace staring at the flames. Just then Angel noticed there was no heat coming from the fire. He blinked his eyes hard a couple of times and stared at his father.  
  
"I'm here son. Not in body, but in spirit. I've been sent to warn you."  
  
"Warn me?" Angel asked.  
  
"We'll get to that later. How have you been these past 200 odd years?"  
  
  
  
Buffy was still fighting the fledgling vampire. He was dressed in a nice black suit, wearing a light blue shirt and a tie. They were having quite a row, throwing each other against headstones and such. Finally, the vampire pushed Buffy back against a headstone and grabbed her throat, going for the kill, when he stopped and spoke to her.  
  
"Buffy?" he laughed. "Buffy Summers?"  
  
"Have we.." Buffy started.  
  
"Oh, uh. Webs? Holden Webster. We went to school together. European History. I let you crib off my Vaclav Havel essay. You.. you really don't remember me?"  
  
"Sure! Sure."  
  
  
  
Dawn and Conner were scared. Mexican music was playing loudly. The television wouldn't shut off and was playing the old horror movie loudly. Dawn smashed the TV with an axe and broke it. She smashed the stereo as well. The music was still coming from the kitchen.  
  
Conner saw the radio sitting there on the countertop, playing Mexican music. He walked further into the room, hoisting the battleaxe, when the microwave oven suddenly came on and Dawn walked in.  
  
"Oh, God. Oh, God!" Dawn mumbled.  
  
She smashed the microwave, causing a tiny explosion and shattering glass on the floor. She backed away from the explosion, but she was bare foot and the shattered glass cut her. She screamed and Conner picked her up. The radio on the kitchen counter was still going. Suddenly, tuning sound came over the radio, causing the music to fade and a voice came over the radio.  
  
"Dawn? Conner?"  
  
"Mom?!" Dawn asked.  
  
  
  
"Ok, um, junior year, spring production of Pippin, uh, I did the lighting design." Holden said.  
  
"I didn't see it." Buffy said.  
  
"But you'd helped me move the lighting board, and I dropped it on your foot."  
  
"Right, foot. Yes, of course. History class. It's all coming back. Sorry."  
  
"Well, you know, it's not like I was a big part of your life or anything."  
  
"No, I just.. I didn't recognize you, you know, your face, all demon, and I think you've filled out a lot."  
  
"Oh, yeah, well I got into to Tae Kwon Do in a big way at Dartmouth, so.."  
  
"That's great."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So what have you been up to?"  
  
"Well, apparently dying." They both laughed. "Uh, no, but other stuff." They started walking. "Uh, you know, majoring in Psych. Really liking that. Uh, took a year off to do an internship at the Sunnydale Mental Hospital."  
  
"Wow. That's gotta be a popular job INT."  
  
"I.. I keep telling them we ought to get a velvet rope and a bouncer. Hey, you remember Jason Wheeler, you know, 'Crazy J'?"  
  
"Oh, yeah." Buffy leaned on a headstone.  
  
"He always had that shtick of 'Yeah, I'm crazy, I'm crazy.'"  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Crazy. He's been in the chronic ward since graduation. Not really that funny, I guess."  
  
"Ironic, sorta."  
  
"Yeah. Whoa. Did my face just change?"  
  
"Yeah. You look human now. You can do that.. go back and forth."  
  
"Oh, so I'm a vampire. How weird is that?"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"No, no. Feels great. Strong. Like I'm connected to a powerful all- consuming evil that's gonna suck the world into a fiery oblivion. How 'bout you?"  
  
"Not so much connected."  
  
"No, no. I mean, with the stake and the cross. You do this kind of thing a lot?"  
  
"I'm the slayer. It's sort of a thing."  
  
"So, what? You like fight vampires professionally? Or.."  
  
"Oh, I don't get paid. It's more like a calling. Since.. even in school."  
  
"I heard a lot of rumors about you back then. You were all mysterious."  
  
"I was?"  
  
"Well, you were never around. A lot of kids thought you were dating some really old guy, or that you were just heavy religious."  
  
"That would be Angel."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"My husband, then boyfriend."  
  
"Older?"  
  
"By about 228 years."  
  
"Wow. You know, Scott Hope said you were gay."  
  
"What? I dated that ringworm."  
  
"He says that about every girl he breaks up with. And then last year, big surprise, he comes out."  
  
"Men. I know how to pick 'em."  
  
"So, all that time, you were a slayer?"  
  
"The."  
  
"'The', like as in 'the only one'?"  
  
"Pretty much. Well, there is Faith, but that's a longer story."  
  
"Oh. So, when you said not connected, that was kind of a telling statement, wasn't it?"  
  
"Ah, Psych 101 alert."  
  
"Well, I'm just saying."  
  
"Yeah, what I really need is emotional therapy from the evil dead."  
  
"Hey, it was your phrase."  
  
"I'm connected. I'm connected to a lot of people, ok."  
  
"No. No, I hear ya."  
  
"I really am."  
  
  
  
"Buffy, come on, pick up. I don't know what to do!"  
  
Dawn was on the phone, frantic. She was sitting on the coffee table with her back to the couch, bandaging her feet while she made the phone call. Conner stood over her protectively. Dawn hung up the phone and picked up the radio that was in the kitchen before. She shook the radio. Conner looked over at the couch and found his grandmother lying on the couch in the same position as his mother had told him about when she had found her mother.  
  
"Dawn.." Conner said.  
  
"Do it again! I heard you." Dawn yelled at the stereo.  
  
"Dawn!"  
  
Dawn stopped and turned slowly to look at the couch behind her, but it was empty. The light went out for a second. When they came back on, Conner and Dawn could see that all the dining room chairs had been placed upside down on the dining room table in the next room. The weapons chest had been turned on end, spilling its contents onto the floor. They looked around, frightened, and saw a message written on the wall in blood: 'Mother's Milk is RED Today', and there was a bloody handprint below it. The lights dimmed again for only a moment, and when they came back on, the message was gone and the weapons chest and the dining room furniture were back to normal again. Dawn shivered. The knocking sound came back.  
  
"Why are you doing this!" Dawn screamed. KNOCK! "Why are you.. I don't understand." The knocking continued. "Stop. Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Aah!" The knocking stopped.  
  
"Hello?" Conner called. KNOCK!  
  
"Once for yes." Dawn mumbled to herself. Then she screamed out loud, "Once for yes. Twice for no. Mom?" KNOCK! "Mom, it's you?" KNOCK! "Are you ok?" KNOCK! KNOCK! "You're not. Mom.. mommy.. are you alone?" KNOCK! KNOCK! The house started to shake, like an earthquake, but not. A strobe light flashed in Dawn and Conner's faces. Dawn screamed and Conner grabbed onto her waist. Home decor was falling to the floor everywhere: lamps, pictures, vases, etc.  
  
"Why are you doing this?!" Conner cried.  
  
  
  
"That girl of yours.. She's pretty."  
  
"Buffy. Her name's Buffy." Angel said to his father.  
  
"Buffy. Such an odd name. Are you happy Liam?"  
  
"It's Angel now. I haven't gone by Liam since.. Well, Friday actually, but that was for a whole different reason." Angel sighed. "I'm sorry for.."  
  
"It wasn't you. That was a demon. I'm not worried about it because I knew it wasn't you."  
  
"You did?"  
  
"You never listened to me Liam. Even when you were a demon, you didn't listen. I called you a devil to your face and you did not hear it. But I didn't come here to converse about my death. I came to talk to you."  
  
"Why now? Why not all those years before?"  
  
"Because it wasn't as important as it is so now."  
  
"Why is it important now?"  
  
"Your girl, Buffy, she's a Vampire Slayer, right?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"She's good at it?"  
  
"Yes. The best."  
  
"Good. Wouldn't want you to lose her. She's done wanders for ya."  
  
"I've lost her before?"  
  
"Have ya now?"  
  
"She died. Once, about a year and a half ago."  
  
"Then what are ya doin' married to her?"  
  
"Her friends brought her back. We met up at this place and well.."  
  
"Still satisfying your sinful urges I see."  
  
"No! It's not like that. Not with her. I truly love her. And when I did, it was more to comfort her and to convince myself that it was real."  
  
"You married her because you love her?"  
  
"Yes. Not to mention that she was pregnant with my son."  
  
"Yes, that boy of yours."  
  
"Conner."  
  
"He looks like you."  
  
"He acts like his mother."  
  
"So you married her because she was pregnant with your child and you love her?"  
  
"I married her because I love her. She's the one thing that makes me truly happy. She deserves a family because hers was taken away."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Her mother died, her sister's not really her sister, her father never talks to her. In fact, the only time they ever talk is when Conner and Dawn are going to visit him."  
  
"Horrible."  
  
  
  
Buffy was lying down on her back on a stone sarcophagus. There was a carved stone open book at one end that she used as a pillow. Holden was sitting on a nearby headstone, talking to her. She was playing with the cross pendant on the necklace she was wearing.  
  
"So, you meet someone, you form a bond.." Holden said.  
  
"But it never lasts." Buffy said.  
  
"Do you mean in all relationships, or just yours?"  
  
"My parents weren't exactly the paragon of stay-together-y-ness. Maybe that's part of it. I think there're people out there who'd make it. I just.. target the impossible ones.. with deadly accuracy."  
  
"Is Angel impossible?"  
  
"No. I love him with all my heart, but I'm scared that I'm pushing him away."  
  
"How? You both end up together in the end."  
  
"I just feel.. I'm different."  
  
"Afraid of completely committing?"  
  
"I commit. I'm committed. I'm a committee."  
  
"So it's him? You're reaching out, he's just not coming through?"  
  
"It's different. I think you're confusing me because you're evil."  
  
"I just think you're in some pain here.. which I do kind of enjoy 'cause I'm evil now, but you should just ease up on yourself. It's not exactly like you have the patent on bad relationships."  
  
"Wouldn't it be cool if I did?"  
  
"You've settled down already! At 21! You know, my girlfriend at college, she's so sweet. We have this great thing, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna go vampify her just so we can be together forever."  
  
"Sire."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The word.. when you turn a human into a vampire.. it's you 'sire' them."  
  
"Cool."  
  
"It's a noun too."  
  
"Oh, I have so much to learn. Come on, isn't this insane? I mean, I was afraid to talk to you in high school, and now we're, like, mortal enemies. Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we became nemeses?"  
  
"Is that how you say the word?"  
  
"We're gonna have to fight to the death, aren't we?"  
  
"It's the time-honored custom."  
  
"Wow, reality just shows up sometimes, doesn't it? But, you know, I've got the bloodlust pumping, and I kinda get it. I'm looking for a fight. And, oh, it's nothing personal."  
  
"Oh, no, I mean, you've been great."  
  
"And fun catching up. I haven't really kept in contact with many of my friends from high school. Guess I'll be looking them up pretty soon."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Hey, I don't mean to be Count Buttinsky here, but you just don't seem as thrilled. Is it because we're gonna fight?"  
  
"It's cause I'm gonna win."  
  
"Hello. Two years of Tae Kwon Do and vampire strength. I think somebody's counting their chickens."  
  
"You're not leaving this graveyard. Can't let you."  
  
"Do the words 'superiority complex' mean anything to you?"  
  
"You think I'm gonna let you go kill a bunch of people? You know I'm sworn to.."  
  
"No, no. I get the battle against evil. That's not the issue."  
  
"There is no issue. Don't issue me."  
  
"Just answer me this: whose fault was your parents divorce?"  
  
"Ok, you know, this is beyond evil. This is insane troll logic. What do my parents have to do with.."  
  
"I'm just curious. Your opinion."  
  
"They both have a lot of.."  
  
"Off the top of your head."  
  
"My dad."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"He cheated. Um, I think he cheated."  
  
"So, are you trying to distance yourself from Angel because he kissed another girl and you're afraid that it'll all crumble to pieces?"  
  
"It's incredibly different."  
  
"I was just wondering, is it possible, even a little bit, that the reason you have trouble connecting to guys in general is because you think maybe they're not worth it? Maybe you think you're better than them."  
  
"Say, there's that bloodlust I was looking for."  
  
"Struck a nerve."  
  
"I'm gonna strike a nerve cluster in a minute, you don't get off this. I don't remember you being this annoying."  
  
"You don't remember me at all."  
  
"Yes I do."  
  
"Yeah, like, after 30 minutes of reminding. And I don't take it personally cause clearly you were in your own little world in high school. All chosen. All destiny. Who could live with that for seven years and not feel superior?"  
  
"I'm not. My God, if anything, I.."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I just.. if you knew what I've done, what I've let myself become. My best friends don't even.. You'd laugh, you heard some of the things I've done to them."  
  
"Buffy, I'm here to kill you, not to judge you."  
  
"Since I came back, I've been nothing but wild. I tried not to have a kid when I was eight months pregnant! I've always tried to keep everyone at a distance since the first time Angel left me. He was the one person I counted on to never leave me, and he did. Even though he's back, with me, I wanna keep him at a distance. It's all because he left me. Sorry. Wow, I didn't mean to get all true-confessions there. I don't know what's wrong with me."  
  
"There's nothing wrong with you." Holden hit Buffy in the head with the Mary statue, sending Buffy across the sarcophagus in a flip. He jumped over the tomb and landed in front of Buffy, grabbing her jacket, and talking right in her face in his vampire visage. "Everyone's got issues." He leaned in for the kill. 


	28. Conversations With Dead People part 2

Chapter 28  
  
"You said you came here to warn me." Angel said. "About what?"  
  
"In due time, my son. In due time. Sit down." Angel's father sat down on the couch. "You're living lushly nowadays."  
  
"This isn't my home."  
  
"No, it isn't, is it? You took this house. A nice family used to live here, didn't they? How did you get this house?"  
  
"No."  
  
"How Liam?"  
  
"I killed them."  
  
"Exactly, just like you're going to do the little family you tried so hard to build when the day comes."  
  
  
  
"You son of a bitch!" Buffy said.  
  
"What?" Holden asked.  
  
"I think I'm gonna kill you just a little bit more than usual." Buffy punched at his face, Holden blocked and kicked her.  
  
"Aw, come one. I mean, we had a moment. You opened up. It was really sweet. It made me want to bit you. I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I'm just new to this mortal enemy stuff." Buffy stood and he kicked her. "Pretty fast learner, though, right?"  
  
Buffy kicked him and jumped him, pushing him and herself through a stained glass window into a nearby crypt.  
  
  
  
Dawn and Conner were alone at home. The power was out. They were standing in the middle of the living room, looking around. They could hear a sound: something like a cross between roaring wind and a growling animal.  
  
"I hear you. I hear you breathing. Are you hurting my mother? Are you keeping her from coming back to me?" Dawn called. A strobe-like flash lit the room momentarily. A white-eyed Joyce was lying on the couch one second, and then gone the next. "Mom? I see you. I'm coming towards you, ok?" Another flash, and Joyce was lying on the couch screaming while a dark shadowy figure choked her as she reached out toward Dawn and Conner. "She's trying to talk to me. Get off her and let her talk to me!"  
  
"The axe!" Conner said.  
  
Dawn got down on the floor, crawling around looking for the battleaxe. Suddenly the shadowy figure had the axe and swung it at Dawn's head. She screamed just as Conner caught the axe and kicked the hand away.  
  
"Get out!" a voice yelled.  
  
Dawn ran toward the front door, which had swung open again. Wind was blowing hard into the house. She almost went out, but stopped in mid- stride. "No!" Dawn shut the door. "She's my mother. I'm staying."  
  
  
  
Buffy proceeded to kick the crap out of Holden. Finally he fell to the ground. Buffy straddled his chest, pointing a stake at his heart. "See? You're dead. That enough of a moment for ya?"  
  
"Ok. But are you killing me because I'm evil or because you opened up?" Holden asked, changing back to his human face.  
  
Buffy groaned and stood up, kicking him in the face. "What is wrong with you?"  
  
"Nothing. I got no worries. I'm dead. The biggest thing on my mind is whether or not Tricia Waldman came to my funeral or not. Do you remember her? Ohh.. biteable."  
  
"See, this is what I hate about you vampires. Sex and death and love and pain.. it's all the same damn thing to you."  
  
"Well, you know it's-it's kind of a guy thing. We talk about nailing a girl, there's all this.."  
  
"No, it is not the same. With vampires, it is completely.. Believe me, I know."  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"Oh, your God what?"  
  
"Oh, well, you know, not my God, because I defy him and all of his works, but.. Does he exist? Is there word on that, by the way?"  
  
"Nothing solid."  
  
"Oh. I keep getting off topic because my mind is racing here. All right. I'll make a deal with you. We fight. To the death. Great. That last fight was just exhilarating. And I actually had a move coming up to block that stake. But you have to answer one question, and if I'm right, I get to ask anything.. no secrets, no defensiveness, anything I want to know."  
  
"What's your question?"  
  
"Your current relationship: is it with a vampire?"  
  
  
  
Dawn sat Indian-style on the living room floor, surrounded by white candles and thick books. She had one of the books open to a specific page. The strange breathing sound was still present. Conner stood next to Dawn, making sure nothing would harm her unless it got through him.  
  
"I know you're there. I will cast you out. My mother needs to talk to me." Dawn called. She held a bowl and sprinkled dust from the bowl on the ground in front of her. A force pushed her and Conner backwards across the room. They both stopped when their backs hit the wall, but Dawn still had the bowl in her lap. "I cast you from this place." She sprinkled dust. "It is your poison and your bane." She sprinkled more dust.  
  
Conner felt something coming and he jumped in front of Dawn. A claw raked across his cheek and left a bloody gash. He yelped, but refused to go down. "Keep going." He said. She sprinkled dust again. "It is the skin that is cut from your flesh!" Suddenly, a strong wind blew out all the candles. The living room window exploded inward, shattering pieces of glass all over Dawn, Conner, and the room.  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry! I thought you were joking about that whole 200 something years older thing." Holden said.  
  
"Well, I wasn't." Buffy said, looking over at Holden.  
  
"And you love him?"  
  
"More than I've ever loved anything in this whole world. My last thoughts before I died were 'I love you Angel. Please forgive me for everything.' And I knew he would. And he still does. He can't hate me. No matter how much he tries, he can't."  
  
"Does he want to hate you?"  
  
"No. But sometimes I want him to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I have all this power. I didn't ask for it. I don't deserve it. It's like.. I want to be punished. I want to hurt like I think I deserve. I sorta think.. you know, this is, um, complicated. If you'd rather just fight.."  
  
"Tell me."  
  
"I feel like I'm worse than anyone. Honestly, I'm beneath them. My friends, my husband. I feel like I'm not worthy of their love. Cause even though they love me, it doesn't mean anything cause their opinions don't matter. They don't know. They haven't been through what I've been through. They're not the slayer. I am."  
  
"If Angel's a vampire, and he's the one that you sent to hell, killed if you want, he came back and he went through hell thinking he could forget you only to come back to you when you were doing pretty much the same thing the entire time, shouldn't he understand?"  
  
"Yes, but.. Sometimes I feel.. this is awful. I feel like I'm better than them. Superior."  
  
"Until you can't win. And I thought I was diabolical.. or, at least I plan to be. You do have a superiority complex. And you've got an inferiority complex about it. Kudos."  
  
"It doesn't make any sense."  
  
"Oh, it makes every kind of sense. And it all adds up to you feeling alone. But, Buffy, everybody feels alone. Everybody is, until you die. Speaking of.. you ready for our little death match?"  
  
"I suppose. Thanks, for listening."  
  
"Oh, you know, there's some things you can only tell a stranger."  
  
"You're not a stranger. That stuff with Spike before and then with Angel is pretty.."  
  
"Hold it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did you say Spike?"  
  
  
  
"What? What the hell are you talking about?" Angel asked.  
  
His father stood. "That's what I came to warn you about. Whose side are you on Liam?"  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"I'm not anything evil, if that's what you think. I was sent to keep your family safe because you didn't do it for yours."  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
"I cannot. I must make you see. Your wife is just as much to blame for killing the family in the end to."  
  
"Buffy? She would never.."  
  
"She's not the same Buffy you once knew. She's no longer that innocent virgin you fell in love with. You both will turn against them all in the end."  
  
"No."  
  
"Yes. You will be together in hell. Where you go, so she goes too."  
  
"I won't hear this. I can't."  
  
"You must. For your own safety and for hers. When this evil comes, stay away from your darkness."  
  
"Angelus?"  
  
"Your darkness." With that, Angel's father disappeared.  
  
Angel closed his eyes and then opened them up to find that he was running. Making his way to the Espresso Pump. He had to tell Buffy. He had to keep them all safe.  
  
  
  
The lights were still out. The windows were busted in. Papers blew around. The room looked like a disaster area. Dawn stood up behind Conner and continued with the banishing spell. "I cast you out with every prayer from every god that walked the Earth and crawled beneath." Conner felt the presence again and he blocked Dawn only to be thrown across the room with her, both of them landing on their butts. Dawn continued. "I cast you out with the strength of those who love me. I cast your out with the strength I have inside me! I cast you out into the void. That's right! Die, you bastard!"  
  
The noise and wind stopped. Blood spattered all the walls, but then faded and disappeared altogether. The house was still a complete wreck, but still now. Dawn whimpered and collapsed. Conner knelt by her side as a golden light filled the room. They both looked up and saw a vision of Joyce standing there in front of them, beautiful and glowing, wearing a long white gown. Dawn managed to push herself up on her arms and sit up with Conner's help.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
  
  
"What do you mean? How do you know Spike?" Buffy asked.  
  
"What do you mean, how? He was the guy that, um.. oh, what's the word?" Holden said.  
  
"Sired?"  
  
"Yeah, he was the guy that sired me."  
  
  
  
"Things are coming, Dawn. Listen, things are on their way. I love you. I love you Conner. And I love Buffy, but she won't be there for you." Joyce said.  
  
"What? Why are you.." Dawn asked.  
  
"When it's bad, Buffy won't choose you. She'll be against you."  
  
"Grandma, please wait." Conner said.  
  
"I'm happy I got to see you Conner. I'm proud of both of you." Joyce started to fade.  
  
"No! No, don't go! Please, don't go!" Dawn said.  
  
Joyce disappeared entirely. Dawn, still sitting in the middle of the living room floor, sobbed. Conner held her to him and felt tears slide down his face.  
  
  
  
Buffy staked Holden and ran out of the crypt. Angel was probably waiting for her at the Espresso Pump. She had to tell him about Spike. They had to get to Faith and warn her. As she ran up, she saw Angel looking around frantically.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy called, running up.  
  
"Buffy!" Angel turned to her and pulled her to him tightly.  
  
"We have to talk." They both said simultaneously.  
  
"Listen, we need to get to Faith. Now." Buffy said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She's in danger."  
  
"She's always in danger."  
  
"She's in even more now."  
  
  
  
Faith walked to the door to answer it. She had been sound asleep when the loud, incessant pounding had started. Grumbling, she yanked the door open. Spike stood on the other side.  
  
"Spike? What he hell do you want? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Faith asked.  
  
"We need to talk. Can I come in?" Spike asked.  
  
Faith rolled her eyes and stepped out of the way to let Spike in. With a half grin, Spike stepped over the threshold and into the darkened apartment. Faith closed the door behind him. 


	29. Apocalypse Nowish and Sleeper part 1

Chapter 29  
  
Angel drove the van way beyond the speed limit, heading for Faith's apartment. All Buffy knew was she had to get to her friend and save her from a possible death. Suddenly, Angel's phone chirped loudly. As she ran Buffy ripped it out of his jacket pocket and picked it up.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Buffy?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Are you in a car?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Trouble?"  
  
"Big."  
  
"Well, we have a little bit bigger problem up here."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well, we're swamped with cases and some of them Gunn, Fred, and I just can't handle."  
  
"Do you need us right now?"  
  
"Most definitely cupcakes. And Cordy has been asking for Xander. Can you make a minor pit stop and pick the little Sugar up for her?"  
  
"What I'm doing now? It's kind of important."  
  
"So's the end of the world."  
  
Buffy stopped dead. "What?"  
  
"The cases we've been swamped with are end of the world material Blondie. So unless you want to die without another fight, I suggest you and Big Guy get over here now."  
  
"We'll be there as soon as we can." Buffy shut the phone and handed it back to Angel.  
  
"What?" Angel asked.  
  
"We need to go to LA. Now."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"The end of the world is coming and it's starting with LA. Go to Xander's."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cordy wants him. And stop with the one line questions."  
  
"Sorry." With a large U, Angel turned the van so that they were headed for Xander's apartment.  
  
  
  
"He's in the apartment right now!" Faith said quietly into the phone.  
  
"Well, get him out!" Buffy said into her cell phone.  
  
"It's almost day."  
  
"That's why you need to get him out now."  
  
"You're saying that Spike may have sired this vamp you killed tonight and that Spike may have killed others?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes. No. Maybe, just get him out."  
  
"I can't send him back to Xander."  
  
"Xander's with me. He called Anya. She's going to watch Spike. Just make sure she's ok. I got to go."  
  
"So, you spend this hour and a half phone conversation warning me about Spike and I don't even get to fight him? I've been itching for a great fight lately."  
  
"Faith.."  
  
"Ok! Ok, B. Chill. Consider him gone."  
  
"Thank you." Buffy hung up the phone and called Xander on his car phone. "Sorry to get you up for this."  
  
"It's ok. Cordy's my friend. I want to make sure she's ok." Xander said.  
  
"Well, we're almost there. Are you going to take her to the condo?"  
  
"Probably."  
  
"Good. I think she likes it there."  
  
"It's a condo, Buffy. She's always loved that word."  
  
"Yeah, I know. We're almost there. I'll talk to you when we get there."  
  
  
  
Buffy and Angel walked down the stairs from their room with Lorne trailing them. They had gone up and changed clothes after Cordy and Xander had left. Gunn and Fred were picking up weapons from the weapon's cabinet.  
  
"No." Angel said.  
  
"Why?" Lorne asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I said no."  
  
"I said why. Now, let's meet in the middle with a 'why no?'"  
  
"It's too soon." Buffy said.  
  
"But she got her memory back. Aren't you a weensy curious if Cordy remembers anything about her little stint as a Miss Higher Power. Oh, say, maybe something about the thing-a-ma-bad that Wolfram and Hart sucked outta my noggin."  
  
"We need to give her time to adjust before we start coming at her with a million questions."  
  
"How bout one? One's good."  
  
"In a couple of days when she's more herself." Angel said.  
  
"Chime in any time." Lorne said to Gunn and Fred.  
  
"Love to." Fred said.  
  
"Really." Gunn added.  
  
"We got a case."  
  
"Need some backup?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Nah. Woman out in Hancock Park's hearing spookies in her pipes. I don't know whether to bring my axe or a plunger." Gunn and Fred left.  
  
"What? The worst thing we got going on is a haunted toilet?" Buffy asked.  
  
"What about.." Lorne tried.  
  
Buffy cut him off. "Let's give Cordy a little space. It's not like the world's gonna end right this second."  
  
"I'm curious."  
  
"And you know what they say it did to the cat." Buffy said, picking up the phone.  
  
"Who are you calling?" Angel asked.  
  
"School. Tell em I can't come in today."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Hello, Principal Wood? .. Hi, it's Buffy Summers. Listen, I can't come to school today. .. Why? .. Because I'm in LA. .. No, my other job called. Sort of an over load on cases. .. I work with a detective agency. .. Angel Investigations. .. They didn't? .. Did Willow say why? .. Both sick? .. No, I had to leave at four in the morning. .. It's a hard working agency! .. All right, I'll check up on them. .. Thank you. .. Bye." Buffy hung up and turned to look at Angel. "Conner and Dawn didn't go to school today."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah. Willow called in and said they were both sick."  
  
"They were fine when we left them."  
  
"We never checked on them." Buffy picked up the phone again. She started to dial, but noticed a tiny voice calling from the phone. "Angel investigations, we help the helpless. .. Knocking noises? .. You called us because there's probably a cat in your walls? .. Listen buddy, I have more important calls to make. .. Well, call an exorcist. .. We don't do those! .. Screw you too!" Buffy hung up and rolled her eyes before picking up again. She dialed the house in Sunnydale and put the phone on speaker. "Willow?"  
  
"Buffy!" Willow said on the other line.  
  
"Yeah. Why are Conner and Dawn not in school?"  
  
"They sort of had a traumatizing experience. I didn't see it necessary to send them since you or Angel wasn't here."  
  
"Willow.."  
  
"Buffy, are you sitting down?"  
  
"No. Why?"  
  
"You might wanna."  
  
"Ok." Buffy still stood.  
  
"Buffy. Sit down. I know your not."  
  
Buffy groaned and sat down. "Ok. I'm sitting."  
  
"Buffy.. No. I'm talking to her now. I'm getting to it!"  
  
"Willow?"  
  
"It was Faith."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Anyways, Dawn and Conner went through something that would traumatize even you. And it's something that's going to hit home with you."  
  
"Will, stop dodging and get to the damn point."  
  
"Buffy, it's ok. They're ok. Not hurt. They're just exhausted. Finally fell off to sleep."  
  
"What the hell happened?" Angel asked.  
  
"Well, downstairs looks like hell happened? This big evil that's been promising to devour us.. well I think it's started chomping."  
  
"Oh, God. And it started with Dawn and Conner?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Both of us. Buffy, this thing knows us. It made us think that we were talking to people we knew. Mine said it came with a message from Tara. But Dawn actually saw.. your Mother. This thing.. it had me for a while.. I mean, before it started letting loose with the pulse-pounding terror. But before that, the lies were very convincing. It just seems real."  
  
"Yeah I know. I saw my father. He came to tell me something." Angel said.  
  
"What?" Buffy, Willow, and Lorne said.  
  
"He came to warn me to stay away from the darkness. My darkness."  
  
"Lies." Buffy muttered.  
  
"I mean maybe-maybe to confuse us, to mess us up. Or maybe just to be cool." Willow said.  
  
"Vampire I killed last night told me Spike sired him.. two nights ago."  
  
"Faith told me. But, that's impossible, right? So maybe it was another one. A fake-out. You got one too. It wasn't a real vamp."  
  
"It dusted real enough."  
  
"Buffy, do you think Spike is.."  
  
"I can't. I hope not for Faith's sake."  
  
"Guys, I need to go. Faith and I are going to try to make a game plan."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Willow?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Keep Conner and Dawn safe?"  
  
"You know I will."  
  
  
  
Willow hung up the phone and turned to Faith. "So, Anya's watching Spike at Xander's?"  
  
"S'what B said." Faith answered. "Said Anya would call when Spike decided to leave."  
  
"Good. And that won't be for a while."  
  
"So, what? Are we going to sit around here like bumps on logs and wait?"  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"If we are, I need somethin' to do."  
  
"How bout we clean? This place looks like.."  
  
"A war zone. It's a nice touch."  
  
"Let's get to work."  
  
  
  
"Snakes? .. Uh-huh. And they came out of your what? .. Ok, ok, well did they get up there themselves, or is this part of a, you know, a thing. .. No, I'm not judging. .." Lorne put the phone to his chest and asked, "Do we fight snakes?"  
  
"Only if they're giant." Buffy said.  
  
"Or demons. Or giant demons. Are they giant demon snakes?" Angel asked.  
  
"Well, unless this guy's 30 feet tall, I'm thinking they're of the garden variety." Lorne said.  
  
"Oh. They could still be demonic. Are they making any kind of weird demon- y sounds?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Damn."  
  
"Wanna train?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Sure." Angel turned and walked upstairs. Buffy followed. Twenty minutes later they were dressed in training clothes and moving furniture around in the lobby. Lorne continued to answer calls as Buffy and Angel sparred against each other. Sometimes they used weapons, but most of the time they used their bodies. Eventually, they got tired and went back upstairs to change back to their regular clothes. They started going through the weapons cabinet out of sheer boredom.  
  
"No, no, that certainly doesn't sound normal for a boy his age. Look, we'll send someone out as soon as we can. Just, um.. just don't poke it." Lorne hung up as Gunn walked in.  
  
"Hey. How'd it go?" Angel asked.  
  
"Where's Fred?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Bad. Out." Gunn answered as the phone rang. "I got it."  
  
"Bless you and all your parts." Lorne said, handing Gunn the message log.  
  
"Angel Investigations. .. Uh-huh. .. And what is the nature of your manifestation?"  
  
"Business is really humming, huh?" Lorne asked, walking over to Buffy and Angel.  
  
"Yeah, big Apocalypse coming, I guess." Angel said. He turned and looked at Buffy. "You think I should keep these alphabetical, or rearrange them by how much damage they inflict?"  
  
"Damage. Nomenclature goes out the portal when, uh, hacking's afoot." Lorne answered for Buffy.  
  
"Still, good to know what you're using. I mean, what if I'm fighting a Glurgg, and I ask for a Khopesh to finish him off. What would you throw me?"  
  
"EW! A towel. Glurggs are, like, 90% pus." Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, uh, not speaking of sticky fluids, maybe we should get some help around the office. A certain somebody with a good understanding of higher dimensions. And could tell me what got hoovered out of my head. Um, name starts with a 'C.'" Lorne said.  
  
"Xander."  
  
"Well, that doesn't start with a 'C', but ok."  
  
"Hey." Buffy said as she and Angel walked over.  
  
"Hey." Xander said.  
  
"How's Cordy?"  
  
"Hanging in there. She's pretty tough."  
  
"Yeah. She is."  
  
"She wants to go back to Sunnydale for a while, but I'm not sure that's a great idea.. What with 'from beneath' boy lurking around up there."  
  
"She needs a place she can feel safe. Give her a chance to work things out. A couple of days, everything'll be back to the way it was." Angel said.  
  
"You guys should talk to her."  
  
"Now's not a good time. After everything she's been through, the last thing she needs.."  
  
"Angel. Please?"  
  
"He's right." Buffy said. "We should go."  
  
  
  
Cordy sat on the floor in a darkened bedroom. She was wrapped in a blanket and staring straight forward. "I'm gonna kill him."  
  
"He's just worried about you. We all are." Buffy said, moving closer.  
  
"Is that the royal we, or the populous?"  
  
"I always wanted to be a prince." Angel said. He sat next to her and held her hand. "I hear you gotta be born into it."  
  
"How do you do that?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Make everything feel like it's not spiraling apart."  
  
"He has that affect on me too." Buffy said moving to sit in front of Cordy. "You all right?"  
  
"Getting there. When I got my memory back, everything came rushing in. Sunnydale, moving to Los Angeles, meeting you again, Buffy coming back in. I wanted to tell you guys, but it was just too much."  
  
"Tell us what?"  
  
"I'm sorry Buffy."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"What I remembered when I was a higher being. All that pain you experienced. All the joy that was taken away from you when you were.."  
  
"Ripped from heaven?"  
  
"Yeah." Cordy looked at Angel. "And I remember seeing you.. your past.. when you were Angelus."  
  
"I never tried to hide who I was or what I've done. You already knew." Angel said.  
  
"Knowing's different than living it. When I was up there, I could look back and see everything you ever did as Angelus.. more than see, I felt it. Not just their fear and pain. I felt you and how much you enjoyed making them suffer. I love you, Angel, but.." Suddenly, Cordelia started hyperventilating and convulsing, and her eyes turned white. Angel grabbed her shoulders to steady her.  
  
"Cordy!?" Buffy yelled.  
  
"He's coming. He's coming now." Then Cordy went limp. Angel moved her over to the bed and laid her down. Xander came over and sat down with her. 


	30. Apocalypse Nowish and Sleeper part 2

Chapter 30  
  
There were a lot of people bustling about in the streets. A musician was playing his harmonica on the corner. As Spike passed him, the song changed, and Spike started humming along. Faith was only a few paces behind, following Spike. The crowd was dense, and he was difficult for her to follow. She watched him go up to a young woman in line to get into a club. He whispered in her ear, and she walked off with him, hand in hand. Faith tried to follow, but it was getting more difficult. Spike had his arm around the young woman now.  
  
"So, um, what kind of name is Spike?" the girl asked.  
  
Faith tried to keep up, but she lost him in the crowd. She became frantic, wanting to save this girl's life and prove that Spike wasn't bad at the same time. After about an hour, she gave up and decided to do a quick patrol. The night was progressing and there were other people out there she had to save.  
  
  
  
Cordy opened her eyes and looked around her. It was nighttime and Xander was sitting beside her on the bed. Angel paced the floor while Buffy sat in a rocking chair. "Hi."  
  
"You're awake!" Xander said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"How do feel?"  
  
"Been better."  
  
"You still have your visions. I thought they weren't supposed to hurt anymore." Buffy said.  
  
"This wasn't normal. If that word actually applies to anything that ever happens to me. The visions are usually like a lawn sprinkler. This was like Niagara."  
  
"You guys should let her rest." Xander said.  
  
"No. I'm ok." Cordy said, taking his hand.  
  
"What else can you tell us?" Angel asked.  
  
"Big, powerful, clawing its way up through the bowels of the earth to slaughter us all. Yeah, that pretty much covers it."  
  
"Did you see anything that could give us a location?"  
  
"No, just the big beastie. It's coming, Angel, and it won't stop, not until we're all.. It won't stop."  
  
"He's right. You should probably get some sleep." Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, because impending doom: almost as good as warm milk."  
  
"Whatever's coming, we'll figure out a way to stop it."  
  
"It'll be too late. I can feel it. There's something.. I don't know. I think I know more about this thing.. or, I knew more when I was all high and mighty, but I just can't get at it."  
  
"Maybe if Lorne read you again." Angel said.  
  
"You think he would after what happened the first time?"  
  
"Buffy and I could hold him down."  
  
"Angel, we need to know more. I need to know."  
  
"We're on it." Angel and Buffy left. Angel drove the van to Wolfram and Hart and they snuck in through the basement. Moving stealthily and silently, they moved upwards to Lilah's office.  
  
  
  
Lilah opened the door to her office and stopped in mid-sentence when she saw Buffy was playing Solitaire on her computer and Angel toying with a letter opener. "Lemme get back to you." she hung up the phone.  
  
"Close the door." Angel said.  
  
"How did you get in here?" Lilah closed the door. "Vampire detectors, my ass. Well, here we are, all nice and cozy. Let's talk about.. hmm, gee, let me guess.. Lorne. How's he doing? Still green?"  
  
"I told you we were gonna have a conversation."  
  
"Swell, but I'm having a bit of a day, so let's say we skip the usual two- step, you threaten me, I threaten you, yadda, yadda, yawn. Jump directly to the throwing you out on your thick, meaty heads. Cause, you know what? You're not getting anything out of me this time either."  
  
"Didn't think we would, but Gavin.. he was more accommodating. Say, do you have Spider Solitaire on here? Game's addictive!" Buffy said, not looking up from the computer.  
  
Lilah looked over at a chair and found Gavin bound and gagged on the couch. "Couldn't you two have at least tortured him a little bit more?"  
  
"Really wanted to, but he wouldn't stop talking long enough to get into it."  
  
"I have a cure for that."  
  
"Vindict on your own time. We're kinda on the clock here." Angel said.  
  
"What did he tell you?"  
  
"You're trying to decipher what you took out of Lorne's head. Hundreds of psychics probing and prodding.. Well, not quite that many now, because every time they peel back a layer, their brains end up decorating the walls." Buffy said happily, finally looking up.  
  
"You should see the cleaning bill. Now that is terrifying."  
  
"Anything you got on what's coming. now would be a good time." Angel said.  
  
"Not big on sharing."  
  
"Think we're joking?"  
  
"Not unless you've conjured up a sense of humor to go with that soul. Look, you got it straight from the weasel's mouth. Whatever Lorne gleaned from reading Wonder Girl.. it's protected. Try and unlock it: ka-blooey. Thanks for stopping by."  
  
"You're trying to hide it. I can smell it on you."  
  
"Chanel?" Lilah asked, shooing Buffy out of her chair.  
  
"Fear."  
  
"Well, you're both very imposing in this light."  
  
"You're not afraid of us, Lilah. You're afraid of what's coming. Maybe we can help each other, huh. The enemy of my enemy.."  
  
"Can kiss my ass too. You two wanna play hero? Go find another sandbox."  
  
"Normally, this would be the part where I'd make a grand threat, but thanks to Gavin.."  
  
"Like he knows anything."  
  
"That's the point. This thing caught you by surprise, too. You had no idea it was coming."  
  
"So, what? I'm supposed to throw in with Mr. and Mrs. Goody cause the great unknown has me shaking in my pumps?"  
  
"It's a win-win for you, Lilah. You help us, we stop it, Wolfram and Hart makes you employee of the month for protecting everything they set in motion for the last thousand years. You help us and we don't stop it, well, I mean the only way that's gonna happen is if this thing kills us. And if that's the way it goes, you win again. So, you can keep playing it hard, or you can play it smart. It's up to you." Buffy said.  
  
"You've been doing this Slayer thing for way to long."  
  
"She's better at it than you are at your job." Angel said.  
  
"How sweet and so NOT touching." Buffy took a step forward and Lilah flinched almost imperceptibly. Buffy smiled and backed off. "All right. I'll give you what I have so far."  
  
  
  
"Sure you know where you're going?" Xander asked. He and Cordy were walking through some old factory.  
  
"Exactly? No. But, for the first time since I've been back, I feel like I have a purpose, like a reason for being here. Before, all I felt was empty.. like I was waiting for my life to start." Cordy said.  
  
"I remember those days."  
  
"Yeah. It's called being 18."  
  
"So that's what that was called!" Cordy smiled a little as they headed out into an alley. She stopped suddenly. "What is it?"  
  
"This place. I've been here before."  
  
"In your vision?"  
  
"No." Cordy stared harder. "Oh my God! This is where Buffy nearly died when we first saw Holtz."  
  
Suddenly, something burst up from the ground in front of them, surrounded in red light. The force of the explosion sent Xander and Cordy to the ground. The Beast was huge and he cast a horned shadow on the moist pavement. It had two enormous horns on top of its head, and it was a hulking beast.. the one Cordelia saw in her visions. Xander went at him with a sword, but the Beast just threw him across the alley into the side of a steel dumpster.  
  
"Xander!" Cordy cried. She crouched on the ground, but the Beast grabbed her by the throat and lifted her several feet in the air to its eye level and stared into Cordelia's face. She didn't scream or thrash, just stared back at it looking a little frightened. Xander ran to her aid, attacking the Beast again. The Beast put Cordelia down and threw Xander across the alley again. "No!"  
  
The Beast walked toward Cordelia. She tried to crawl away from it backwards on her back, but she couldn't get away from it. Where the Beast held her neck before, the skin was now red and torn.  
  
Xander stood and yelled, "Stay away from her!"  
  
The Beast looked at Xander, then at Cordelia and laughed. Then with a single effort, he jumped up to the top of the nearby five story tall building. When the thing was gone, Cordelia crawled over to Xander, who appeared hurt and was bleeding from the mouth.  
  
  
  
"Go pool yourself. I'm gonna find my girlfriend." Gunn said.  
  
Angel moved to block him as Buffy stood beside Wesley. "No you're not. If we don't stop what's coming, it won't matter where Fred is, or any of us."  
  
"We've got stuff that's going to help us stop this thing. Or, it's supposed to." Buffy said. She handed the folder to Wesley who took it and took out a few papers before passing the rest to Lorne.  
  
They got to work. Lorne sat down, looking at the papers that were now spread across the coffee table. The papers were completely covered in mystical symbols, and there were hundreds of the sheets of paper. Angel was pacing. Wesley was sitting on the couch next to Lorne and Buffy and Gunn were sitting on the couch across from them.  
  
"That's everything Wolfram and Hart could decipher from what they took outta Lorne." Buffy said.  
  
"They just handed these over?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Lilah: she can be very giving." Angel said.  
  
"You trust her on this?" Gunn asked.  
  
"No, but she's got an interest in stopping the end of the world before it ruins Wolfram and Hart's end of the world, so.." Buffy said.  
  
"Ok, what's the plan?"  
  
"You're holding it. We figure out what all this means, then do something large and violent."  
  
"I see you've given it considerable thought." Wesley said.  
  
"So all this came out of my head? No wonder it made me greener." Lorne said.  
  
"If Wolfram and Hart hadn't extracted it, you'd be a paler shade of dead." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah, well, remind me to send 'em a fruit basket." Lorne sipped his cocktail as the phone rang. "Mmm. Saved by the continuous bell."  
  
"You've been logging the calls?"  
  
"Every last squishy one."  
  
"Grab a map, start marking the locations. See if they're concentrated in any one area. Whatever's happening, whatever Cordy's seen, the answers are in these pages. We need to figure this out."  
  
Half an hour later, Wesley, Gunn, Buffy, and Angel were still sitting on the couches, trying to decipher the data contained in the papers on the table in front of them.  
  
"We're never gonna figure this out." Gunn said.  
  
"We have to keep trying." Buffy said.  
  
"Normally I'd agree, but this is a waste of time." Wesley said.  
  
"It's all we have."  
  
"Then we must be missing something. This is gibberish. Bits and pieces of glyphs, archaic languages, symbols.. all jumbled together."  
  
"Do you recognize any of them?"  
  
"Uh, heat, fallen, shrine, flesh.. none of it makes any sense."  
  
"Ah, we gotta keep at it until it does." Angel said.  
  
"Maybe we should call Giles. Fax this stuff over to him." Buffy said.  
  
"If worst comes to worst, we won't rule it out."  
  
"You know, maybe we should just take a step back." Gunn said, standing and walking around.  
  
"We don't have time. Cordy said whatever's happening is going down right now."  
  
"Then perhaps you should have addressed this earlier." Wes said, flipping through the pages. "We could sift through this muddle from now 'til doomsday, whether that's tomorrow or a thousand years from now."  
  
"Wait, go back. The last sheet, flip it back." Gunn said.  
  
"What is it?" Buffy asked, walking over to Gunn.  
  
"I don't see anything." Wesley said.  
  
"Cause you're looking too close." Gunn said. He lined up two of the papers, showing a triangular symbol that was completed when they were lined up properly. The pattern of the symbols and glyphs weren't nonsensical after all. There were areas that were more densely written on than others. Gunn grabbed a stack of the papers from Wesley, pushed the coffee table out of the way, and started arranging the papers on the floor, matching up the denser areas, which started to form lines.  
  
"Ok. So what the hell is it?" Buffy asked.  
  
When arranged properly, the papers formed a symbol that looked like a square with diagonal lines connecting opposite corners forming an X pattern within the square. Wes, Buffy, Angel and Gunn stood and stared at it.  
  
"The Eye of Fire." Angel said.  
  
"Ancient alchemical symbol for fire." Wesley said.  
  
"And destruction."  
  
"You had us at fire." Buffy said, motioning towards Gunn and herself.  
  
"Um, guys?" Lorne called. He held up the map. "I hate to be the little demon that cried apocalypse, now-ish, but uh.." He gestured to the map with a marker. He had plotted the locations of the disturbances with a red dot for each call, and the dots formed a square.  
  
Angel walked up and drew diagonal lines, connecting the corners of the square formed on the map when Lorne plotted the incidents. Angel pointed to where the lines crossed. "That's it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"The focal point of the disturbances." Wesley said.  
  
Suddenly the building shook with the force from an earthquake. Buffy jumped and ran up to Angel. He slipped his arm around her comfortingly. "Whatever's coming, that's where we'll find it."  
  
"I know that area.. the old Kimball building's down there. They did a retro on it, put a club up on the roof. The, uh, Sky Temple or something." Gunn said.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I've heard of it. Watering hole for the tragically hip." Lorne said. "Actors, models, all the hot mamas and yamas."  
  
"A shrine of the flesh." Wesley said.  
  
"So, who's thirsty?" Angel asked, heading to the weapons cabinet.  
  
"Let's do it." Gunn said.  
  
"Hey, I know location's everything, but, um, maybe we should hold off on the down-payment till we know what we're dealing with or how to stop it." Lorne said.  
  
"If it's alive, we kill it. If it's not, we bury it." Angel threw a crossbow to Wesley. "You in?"  
  
"You know it." Wesley said.  
  
The guys started to head out before they realized that Buffy hadn't followed them. Angel turned back to her and found her standing in the same spot she had been. Her hand was grasping her neck and blood seeped through her fingers. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear, before she collapsed to the floor. 


	31. Apocalypse Nowish and Sleeper part 3

Chapter 31  
  
"Buffy!" Angel ran to her and lifted her up onto his lap, covering the wound with his hand. Wesley came over with a towel and handed it to Angel.  
  
"This is new." Lorne said.  
  
"Her scar, where I bit her.. It's open."  
  
"What? How?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I.. I don't know. We have to stop the bleeding now. It's coming from her artery."  
  
"I'll get the first aid kit."  
  
Wesley sat down and lifted Buffy off Angel and pulled her to him, sitting her up. "Keep the blood from flowing so quickly to her artery."  
  
Gunn came back. "Got it." He handed the white box to Angel.  
  
Angel started to mop up the blood with an alcohol wipe. Buffy flinched as if she could feel it then lie still once again. His worry for Buffy overrode Angel's blood lust. Soon, she was patched up and lying in Angel's arms.  
  
"Angel, we gotta go." Gunn said.  
  
"I'm staying then. I'm not going to leave her alone if the world ends." Angel said. "I left her alone before and she died without knowing how much I love her. I can't let that happen to her again."  
  
"Then don't." Buffy said weakly.  
  
"You're awake."  
  
"Barely. What happened?"  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"I remember lots of blood. Lot's of my blood."  
  
"You're scar opened."  
  
"Apocalypse stuff, right?"  
  
"Probably. Can you stand?"  
  
"I think so." Angel helped her to stand. She wobbled for a second and then found her balance.  
  
"Can you fight?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Drive. I can make myself fight."  
  
"Buffy.." Angel started.  
  
"Let's just go. If this is the end of the world, I'd like to stop it. Or stop it long enough to get my sister and our son and be with them."  
  
"Let's go." Wesley said.  
  
They drove to the place Lorne told them about. Angel, Buffy, Wesley, Gunn and Lorne walked up to the club entrance, armed and ready to fight, but when they saw the demon, they stopped dead in their tracks. Hulking and intimidating even when compared to Angel and his gang, the Beast chuckled at the sight of them. It was standing inside a square made from human bodies that had been laid out in formation. At the center of the square, the Beast was holding a man in the air, dangling him by the foot. The way the body hung, it formed sort of an X shape.  
  
"Ooh, uh, I'm gonna need a bigger arrow." Lorne said.  
  
  
  
Spike had just gone to sleep in the early morning hours. He was staying at Willy's Alliby on Faith's orders since Xander wasn't there. As he started to drift off, Faith walked angrily into the room and dumped him out of the bed. He stood and stared at her in astonishment.  
  
"Did you kill her?" Faith asked.  
  
"What?" Spike asked.  
  
"The girl. Last night."  
  
"What girl? What are you talking about?"  
  
"I caught the first act. I missed the curtain call. Did you kill her? Did you turn her? Is she one of your kind now?"  
  
"Did-did you.. are you following me?"  
  
"Answer the question. Where is she?"  
  
"Who knows? I talked to her is all."  
  
"Really. Looked like more than talking to me."  
  
"Well, I certainly didn't off her. Where are you getting this? You know I can't."  
  
"Right. That chip."  
  
"No, not the chip! Not the chip, damn it. You honestly think I'd go to the end of the underworld and back to get my soul and then.. Faith, I can barely live with what I did. It haunts me. All of it. If you think that I would add to the body count now, you are crazy."  
  
"So, what? You just troll the Promenade looking for drunk co-eds cause you're hungry for conversation?"  
  
"Oh, is that what this is? Right."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're jealous!"  
  
"Don't play games. Not now."  
  
"Yeah, you saw me chatting up another bird, giving the eye to somebody else. Touched a nerve, didn't it?"  
  
"Don't flatter yourself."  
  
"It burns, huh? But you can't admit it, so you trump up some charge about me being back on the juice."  
  
"This vampire Buffy killed told her.."  
  
"Told her what? That I go out? Yeah, I talk to people. Women. Talk to them cause I can't talk to you."  
  
"Oh, Spike, save it."  
  
"As daft a notion as 'Soulful Spike the Killer' is, it is nothing compared to the idea that another girl could mean anything to me. This chip.. they did to me. I couldn't help it. But the soul, I got on my own.. for you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"So, yeah. I go and pass the time.. with someone. But that's all it is, is time, cause.. God, help me, Faith.. it's still all about you."  
  
"Spike, this vampire told Buffy you sired him."  
  
"That's doesn't mean.."  
  
"He said you killed him. Dumped him in a parking lot somewhere."  
  
"And you lot believe him? Vampires aren't.."  
  
"I did follow you last night, and you know what? You didn't look lonely or casual to me. You looked like you were on the prowl."  
  
"You can't know that."  
  
"So, then, tell me. Tell me what happened. You talked to her, then what?"  
  
"We talked. That's all I remember."  
  
"All you remember?"  
  
"I don't know. I go out. I talk to people or I don't. It's boring. It all bleeds together."  
  
"Well, if you seem to forget that much, then.."  
  
"Not that. The taste of human blood. That, I'd remember."  
  
"You were camped out on the hell mouth talking to invisible people. Recently. How can you be sure of.."  
  
"No! You are wrong. You've got an accusation from a pile of dust and not a shred of proof."  
  
"So, I'll get some." With that Faith left the room and headed back to Buffy's house.  
  
  
  
The Beast saw Angel, Buffy, and gang standing at the entrance to the rooftop club. It threw the man it was holding across the room before focusing his attention on Buffy and Angel. Angel and Buffy hoisted their swords and ran toward the Beast. Gunn flanked them on the right, while Wesley and Lorne were on the left with crossbows aimed. Angel swung the sword at the Beast, but it had no effect. When the sword contacted the Beast's skin, there was a pinging sound, but it didn't cut or penetrate the skin. Buffy stepped in and sliced at the back of the things knee. Same effect.  
  
Buffy and Angel continued to try using the sword on the Beast, but to no avail. Eventually, the Beast took the swords away from them, discarded them, and threw Angel across the room where he collided with a column, shattering it to pieces. Buffy stood taller and punched at the thing's face. It grabbed her wrist and hurled her over its head. She flew backwards and hit the wall hard enough to make a dent in the concrete.  
  
Gunn hurled the battleaxe at the Beast, but the thing caught it easily, bending the blade in half and throwing it back at Gunn. Angel recovered from his fall, stood, and wielded two smaller axes. Angel swung them at the Beast's legs, arms, and head, but they didn't hurt it at all. Wesley and Lorne shot arrows from their crossbows at the thing, but the beast deflected them with his forearm, changing their trajectory such that the arrows hit Angel instead. Angel doubled over in pain as one arrow landed in his belly and the other in his upper right shoulder.  
  
The Beast looked around at them all. Wesley and Lorne were reloading the crossbows when the Beast picked up Angel's body and threw it at them, knocking them off all balance. Buffy stood up and went over to stand next to Gunn. Together, they went for the Beast with swords, both hacking tremendously at its head, again to no avail. The Beast grabbed Gunn and Buffy by their throats and threw them across the room.  
  
Wesley reached both hands inside his coat and pulled out two automatic handguns. He shot them, two at a time, at the Beast's chest and head with no effect. He threw them down, and reached for the shotgun at his side. Wesley fired at the Beast's chest, causing it to flinch a bit, but the shots didn't appear to damage it. He fired again at the Beast's face, causing the Beast to fall down, landing on its knees. Wes aimed the shotgun at its face at close range, but the Beast just looked up and smiled at him. The thing grunted and pushed the shotgun away before hurling Wesley across the room. The Beast chuckled.  
  
"Might wanna hold the gloat, chuckles." Angel said, standing and pulling the arrow out of his shoulder. "We're just getting started."  
  
Angel lunged for the Beast, engaging him in hand-to-hand combat. They exchanged punches, when the Beast punched Angel so hard, it sent him backwards through the air in a back flip. Angel landed on his feet on an awning, in vamp face now. The Beast groaned. Angel jumped down from the awning and landed in front of the Beast. They fist-fought again, but Angel managed to knock the Beast down to his knees. Angel grabbed a dagger from his leg-holster and pointed it at the Beast's strange yellow eyes. Its eyes widen, and Angel hesitated, unable to plunge the dagger into its eyes because it had gotten a grip on Angel's arm now. The tables were turned as the Beast stabbed Angel in the right shoulder just at the neck.  
  
"Angel!" Buffy screamed.  
  
Angel groaned in agony, blood dribbling down his mouth, as he involuntarily reverted to human face. The Beast looked knowingly at Angel. "Do you really think she's safe with him?" the thing asked.  
  
The Beast took Angel and hurled him out into the city, well beyond the edge of the building they were on now. Buffy stood and ran screaming to look over the building's roof. "ANGEL!" She watched his body tumble and drop like a rag doll. Buffy turned, fire blazing in her eyes.  
  
"Uh oh." Gunn said.  
  
"Oh, you are SO gonna pay for that." Buffy attacked, hands turned into claws. She punched and kicked with all her strength, bringing the thing down to its knees. She delivered a vicious roundhouse that caused one of the horns to pop loudly, but not fall off. Buffy went to follow up, but the thing expected it and grabbed her ankle and flipped her completely over. Recovering mid-air, Buffy landed on her feet and stacked again. This time the Beast was ready for her and it delivered her three violent punches to the face. Blood spurted from her nose and bottom lip. The demon lifted her up and cracked her over its knee. She screamed as pain shot through her side. The thing had broken two or three of her ribs. Before she knew what was happening, the Beast threw her into another concrete column. It smashed under the force of her body and Buffy fell painfully to the floor. Gunn and Wesley ran over to her.  
  
Lorne looked panicked as Buffy brought herself up to one elbow and watched as the Beast kneeled on one knee and punched the floor at the center of his human square, sending a trail of fire out along the floor in the shape of the Eye of Fire symbol. A shock wave emanated from the area, knocking everyone back a few feet. Lorne was thrown back, but landed on a glass skylight and fell into the room below. Gunn, Buffy, and Wesley were knocked down, but still on the rooftop. The fire was tall now, taller than the Beast. Wesley sat up in time to see the Beast leap straight up into the sky, riding the fire that he created. Wesley went back over to Gunn and Buffy, Gunn was unconscious, but Buffy was forcing herself up.  
  
"Buffy!" Wesley called after her as she half limped, half ran out of the building.  
  
She ignored everything. The pain, Wesley's cries, the rain of fire that fell outside, everything but the one thought that ran through her mind: get to Angel. She ran outside and looked around. Fireballs feel from the sky and she dodged them, following her senses to Angel. She found him lying on the ground in the street. He rolled over, still in pain and bloody from the encounter with the Beast. Weakly, he reached over to pull the implement out of his shoulder, wincing. He convulsed in pain while looking at the sky. Buffy limped up to him and pulled him to her. He leaned his back on her chest as she inspected the wound.  
  
"We have to get out of this!" Angel said hoarsely, turning to stand and help her up. It was almost pitch black where they stood, so Angel didn't notice how badly she was wounded until a fireball landed near them in a fiery explosion and lit the street up. "Oh my God Buffy!"  
  
"It's nothing. Let's go." She took his weight under her and walked them over to a parking garage.  
  
  
  
Xander stood at the window watching the fire rain down on the city of Los Angeles. Cordelia walked up to him and stared out with him.  
  
"What's happening?" Xander asked.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"It's him, isn't it? It's that thing."  
  
"We don't know that."  
  
"I should've tried harder. I should've stopped it."  
  
"It was too strong. This isn't' your fault."  
  
"I should have fought harder. What if my friends are out there dying right now?" Cordelia brushed hair from his face and then pulled Xander's face closer and kissed him tenderly and passionately. "Why.. why did you..?"  
  
"Because I don't think it matters anymore. I know how you feel about me, Xander. When I think about what you've lost and everything we've been through.. I still love you Xander Harris and if this is the end, I want you to have something that we never got to have before." Cordelia put his hand on her waist and they embraced and kissed each other passionately. Eventually, they ended up in bed. Xander on top of Cordelia as they made love for the first time. 


	32. Sleeper part 4

Chapter 32  
  
"Ok, guys, find me some evidence that he did this." Faith said. She was at Buffy's house with Willow, Anya, Conner, and Dawn in the dining room.  
  
"Really? Are you sure that's what you want." Anya asked.  
  
"Find me the proof that he didn't."  
  
"You only think Spike is turning people cause that vampire told Buffy so, right? But that night we were all told things that weren't true." Dawn said.  
  
"Maybe." Willow said.  
  
"Maybe? What maybe?"  
  
"Well, just because those weren't the spirits of, you know, our people.. just because it was some evil thing, doesn't mean what they said can't be true."  
  
"I used to tell the truth all the time when I was evil." Anya said.  
  
"Look, we can't assume anything. We need hard facts." Faith said.  
  
"Well, if Spike is biting people again, should there be more dead people with neck trauma? Right? We can find that." Conner said.  
  
"No." Willow answered.  
  
"No, we can't find that? But that's easy. That computer's a moron." Anya intoned.  
  
"I mean, no, there's not really an increase in neck injuries, but.."  
  
"But what?" Faith asked.  
  
"Oh. Missing people. Eight, maybe. Oh, ten of them. No bodies, they're just missing. Mostly young. Lots of girls."  
  
"So, it's true? What that vampire told mom turned out to be true." Conner asked.  
  
"Maybe. But it still doesn't prove that it's Spike. Right now, he's the only one who knows for sure." Faith said.  
  
"You think we should call mom and dad?"  
  
"No. Not right now. I'm sure that they're busy up there in LA since they haven't called." The phone rang. "Or maybe that's them now."  
  
Willow picked up the phone. "Hello? No, this is Willow. Faith? Ok, hold on." She held out the phone to the dark haired Slayer. "He wants to talk to you."  
  
"Hello?" Faith asked, taking the phone from Willow and putting it to her ear.  
  
"Faith, we have a slight problem. Maybe." Willy the Snitch said.  
  
"What? What's wrong?"  
  
"Spike. He's gone."  
  
"What's wrong with your voice?"  
  
"He hit me. My mouth is a little swollen."  
  
"He hit you?"  
  
"Knocked me out. He's been gone at least half an hour."  
  
"Any idea where he's headed?"  
  
"No clue. You could try his usual haunts."  
  
"Ok. Good." Faith hung up and grabbed her coat.  
  
"Where're you going?" Dawn asked.  
  
"To find Spike."  
  
"Willy let him go?" Conner asked.  
  
"No. Spike escaped. He punched Willy and ran."  
  
"I'm going with you."  
  
"No. You're staying here. I've fought your mother before and I don't want to get the shit beat out of me again."  
  
"Faith, please?"  
  
"No." Faith walked out and slammed the door.  
  
"Someone should follow her, just in case." Conner said to the others.  
  
"Not you." Willow said. "Buffy would kick all our asses if we let you go out there alone."  
  
"None of you are as stealthy as me. I could follow Faith and she wouldn't even know I was there. Please?"  
  
"Conner...."  
  
"I'm seventeen. Mom was boinking dad and staying out all night when she was my age!"  
  
"True."  
  
"So then why can't I? I'm as strong as mom and dad put together! I'm pretty good in a fight. I was trained by the best."  
  
"Conner, if something were to happen to you, Buffy and Angel would be devestated. They were a complete train wreck when they lost you as a baby. Now, to know the man your becoming and lose you, they would never be the same."  
  
"I know. That's why nothing's going to happen."  
  
"You can't know that. Conner...." Willow was interuppted by the phone.  
  
Conner got to it first. "Hello? Fred? No. Are you serious? Are mom and dad ok? Where are they? Where are you? They're not answering? Any of them? No, we've got problems to deal with here. No, not the Apocalypse right now. We'll be here." Conner hung up. "It's raining fire in LA."  
  
"What?" Dawn stood up. "Are Buffy and Angel ok?"  
  
"Fred doesn't know. She's stuck at a cafe that she and Gunn go to all the time. The last she heard from them was when Gunn left a message on her voice mail. He said they were going out to fight some big demon and they would be back later."  
  
"When was the message left?" Willow asked.  
  
"Right before they left at eight thirty." Conner said sadly. "He also said that mom's scar opened and started bleeding. Apocalypse stuff."  
  
  
  
Faith walked up to the club that she and Spike went to every now and then. The bouncer looked new. He wouldn't know her, but if Spike had been coming here lately, he would definitely know him.  
  
He opened the door for her as she walked up. "Hey, sweetheart. If you wanna go in, go ahead."  
  
"Oh, uh, actually, I need some help. I'm looking for this guy. Bleach- blonde hair, leather jacket, British accent? Kind of sallow, but in a hot way?" Faith asked.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know the guy. Billy Idol wannabe?"  
  
"Actually, Billy Idol stole his look from.... never mind. Has he been here?"  
  
"This guy your boyfriend or something?"  
  
"No, technically not.... I-I just.... I need to find him, as soon as possible."  
  
"Yeah, he comes in here a lot lately. Every night leaves with a different girl. Chicks like Billy Idol."  
  
"How many girls?" Faith asked, a little jealous and upset.  
  
"Look, this guy.... this not your boyfriend guy.... if I were you, I'd lose him. He's a real player."  
  
Faith looked at the guy. "Do you know where he went?"  
  
"No. I'm sorry. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I got two."  
  
Faith was about to retort with her usual smart-ass-ness, but her cell phone ringing stopped her.  
  
  
  
Spike stood at the Bronze dialing Buffy's cell phone number for the ninth time. Everytime the operator got on and said that her cell phone service was down in that area. He was starting to get worried about her. He was already worried about himself. Spike dialed Faith's cell phone that he had gotten her. There was a click and then it rang.  
  
"Hello? It's me. I'm seeing.... I think I'm remembering. I think I've done some very bad things." he said.  
  
"Where are you?" Faith asked.  
  
"I need.... I need to see you. There's a house. 634 Hoffman Terrace."  
  
"I'll meet you there."  
  
Faith hung up and breathed a sigh of relief. She started to walk off, but the bouncer grabbed her arm.  
  
"Hey baby, the night is young. I get off in a few minutes."  
  
"Yippy for you." She turned and punched him in the jaw. His head whipped around and his grip on her arm was gone. Faith hadn't killed him, or knocked him out. He stared after her as she ran off.  
  
Spike waited outside of the house he said he'd be at. Faith ran up and, forgetting herself and the anger and hurt at the memory of their fight that had ended badly, hugged Spike tightly. She didn't let him go for a good five minutes. Spike let her because when he was in her arms nothing could touch him. He loved her more than he had ever loved anything else. Now that he had his soul, that love was even more intense. Suddenly, Faith stiffened and drew away. Spike grunted a little and looked away.  
  
"Sorry." Faith said. "I was just.... worried."  
  
"Follow me." Spike said, leading her into the house. He moved to some stairs and headed down. "Down here." Faith hesitated at the top of the stairs. Spike looked up at her. "You won't come down? I understand. It's a risky proposition." Spike turned and found himself blocking his way.  
  
"There's an order. The slayer's not in order. But it can't hurt to play. Get your claws in the mouse, you know?" he said.  
  
"You are not here."  
  
Faith looked at him confused and concerned. "All right. What do you want to show me?" She walked down the stairs.  
  
"I've been remembering. The girl. I walked her home. The one you saw. And the one before that. And I think I killed her. And I think I-I think I killed the lady who lived here. And there might be others." Spike said to her.  
  
"Oh God."  
  
He moved to the middle of the room. "Here. I-I think I buried them here."  
  
"Spike, why?"  
  
"Well, I don't know, do I? I don't even know how. Shouldn't be able...." Spike stopped. The second Spike that seemed to be only visable to Spike was humming. Then he began to sing.  
  
"Early one morning, just as the sun was rising, I heard the fair maid sing in the valley down below. Oh, don't deceive me. Oh never leave me. How could you use a poor maid so?"  
  
Faith looked at Spike. He was staring off into space. His expression was distracted, almost mesmerized. "What? What is it? Spike!"  
  
Spike vamped out and attacked Faith. She had a stake pointed at him, but he wrenched it out of her hand and threw it away behind him, shattering nearby bottles. Faith threw him across the room.  
  
"What are you doing!?" Faith asked. He grabbed a shard of glass and swung it at her, cutting her shoulder. "AH!" Spike attacked again and Faith wrestled him to the ground. "Spike, listen to me, you don't want to do this." He shoved her away.  
  
"And it's just about to get fun." Spike 2 said.  
  
Vampires started rising from the basement floor, coming for Faith.  
  
"Shit!" Faith yelled.  
  
Spike hung back on the stairs watching her fight. Spike 2 siad next to him. "You know what I want you to do." Faith continued to fight the vampires, but they managed to get a hold on her, one on each arm, holding her up for Spike. "They're waiting for you. Take her, taste her, make her weak." Spike stood and walked toward Faith menacingly.  
  
"Spike!" Faith said.  
  
Spike put his face near hers, on each side of her neck, but opted to suck from her open shoulder wound he created earlier by cutting her with the glass. As he mouthed her, he flashed back to all the things he'd done. Killing, burying, and all the rest. "I remember."  
  
Spike was horrified. His face was one of complete shock and disbelief that he could have actually done those things. He recoiled from Faith, staggering back to the far end of the room. Faith fought her way free of the vampires' grip. She used the wooden handle of a garden tool to stake the vampires. Meanwhile, Spike was hiding in a cubbyhole at the back end of the basement, covering his head with his hands. Spike 2 was crouched near him, talking to him.  
  
"You failed them. Now she's gonna kill you. You lose, mate."  
  
Faith staked the last of the vampires and walked over to Spike, still carrying the wooden handle. She stood in front of him. He looked at her, knowing his fate, and scooted out of the cubbyhole he was hiding in. He held open his shirt. He was crying.  
  
"Do it fast, ok? He said you'd do it." Spike said to her.  
  
"Who said?" Faith asked.  
  
"Me. It was me. I saw it. I was here the whole time, talking and singing. There was a song."  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"I don't know. Please, I don't remember. Don't make me remember." Spike looked over at something that wasn't there. "Make it so I forget again! I did what you wanted!"  
  
"There's something here?" Faith asked, throwing the makeshift stake away.  
  
"Oh, God, no, please. I need that. I can't cry the soul out of me. It won't come. I killed, and I can feel 'em. I can feel every one of them." Spike said, sobbing.  
  
"There's something playing with us. All of us." Faith said, crouching in front of Spike and stroking his face.  
  
"What is it? Why is it doing this to me?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Will you.... Help me. Can you help me?"  
  
"I'll help you." Faith helped Spike to stand. Something clicked in her and she knew that she was going to be able to forgive Spike in time.  
  
  
  
Spike was sitting in the living room wrapped in a blanket that Faith had provided. Faith and the others were in the dining room talking.  
  
"And you believe him?" Anya asked.  
  
"You didn't see him down there. He really didn't know what he'd done. It wasn't in his control." Faith said.  
  
"Oh, an out of control serial killer. You're right, that is a great houseguest." Conner said.  
  
"Wait, is he.... is he staying here?" Dawn asked.  
  
"I don't know. But I'm not letting him out of my sight, that's for sure." Faith said.  
  
"Faith, he's been feeding.... on human blood. That's gotta do stuff." Willow said.  
  
"I'm not keeping him around just to help him. I think there was something there, talking to him, making him do things."  
  
"Something like what was talking to us?"  
  
"Maybe. But if it was, it's been screwing with Spike big time."  
  
"So, you want him around because....?" Conner asked.  
  
"Look, there's something evil working us, and if we are ever gonna have a chance to fight it, we need to learn everything we can about it. This thing has been closer to Spike than any of us."  
  
"And if you want to understand it...." Willow said, catching on.  
  
"I'm gonna have to get close to Spike."  
  
"It's too dangerous." Conner said.  
  
"I don't have a choice. Whatever this thing is, from beneath us, it's bad, and it's only getting worse. And who knows what Buffy and Angel are fighting in LA. Speaking of, what's the word?"  
  
"Nothing." Conner said sadly. "Fred called after you left. She said it was raining fire in LA and the last she heard of them was Gunn's message on her voice mail. He said they were going out to fight some big demon guy. And mom's scar opened up and started bleeding."  
  
"That's not natural."  
  
"Apcalypse stuff."  
  
Faith stared at him in disbelief. Things were getting bad in Sunnydale and now LA. Things were definitely looking bad for the side of good. 


	33. Habeas Corpus and Never Leave Me part 1

Chapter 33  
  
Buffy and Angel walked around LA. Actually Angel walked, Buffy was carried. About a mile back her ankle had given and Angel had to catch her before she hit the ground. All around them destruction from the rain of fire was devastating. Cars, buildings, sidewalk stands, all on fire or now charred ruins. Buffy and Angel's wounds were starting to heal. Most of them had been closed for a while. Buffy had ripped her bandage off her neck. She said it was pissing her off, making her feel like a weakling. Of course now that she was being carried because she could barely walk wasn't helping.  
  
Thoughts of Connor and her friends swam through her head. She wondered how Cordy and Xander were doing. They were too far away to walk to them. Wes and the others had taken the car so Buffy and Angel had been forced to walk home. She wondered what was going on in Sunnydale. Faith was probably handling the situation with Spike pretty well. After all, Buffy had helped train the girl. Connor was probably worried sick. When they got to the Hyperion, Buffy would call him and Dawn and let everyone know that she was ok. That they were all ok. At least she hoped they were all ok. No one knew where Fred was and Buffy had lost track of Lorne, Gunn, and Wesley when she had run off to help Angel.  
  
Angel looked all around him. The destruction was massive. But most of all, he was worried about Buffy. When her ankle had given out and she had fallen, Angel started to worry if this was going to be too much to handle. Buffy was one of the best, no she was THE best, and if she was too injured to fight this thing, where did that leave everything and everyone else.  
  
"Angel, put me down." Buffy said.  
  
"You can't walk." He replied, grasping her tighter.  
  
"I need to try."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive. We've only got a few more blocks left anyway."  
  
Angel looked at her tentatively and then gently set her down. She took a few ginger steps and then gave him a small smile. With a confidence that made her shine, Buffy stood up straight and walked. Of course she had a limp, but even that made her look more gallant. Angel smiled and walked after her.  
  
  
  
"So the basement was filled with bodies?" Dawn asked. Everyone was cleaning up the living room from Dawn and Connor's little battle with whatever it was that was attacking them.  
  
"Apparently." Willow said.  
  
"And Spike could've sired countless others and buried them around town. And we're waiting for him to do what, exactly? Do something crazy?"  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"Shouldn't we stab him through the chest? Isn't that what we do when these things happen?" Anya asked.  
  
"Look, Faith knows what she's doing." Willow said.  
  
"Well, Xander, knows what we're all talking about. I mean, he's always been part of the 'Spike is evil' faction."  
  
"Listen, we've got a house to put back together before Buffy gets back."  
  
"Fine. You guys keep your heads buried in the sand, but I think we should prepare ourselves for the possibility that William the Bloody is back."  
  
"Anya!" Willow said, getting angry.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Hey Dawn, why don't you go upstairs and check on Connor? He ran out pretty fast after we talked to Xander about what was going on in LA."  
  
"Ok." Dawn walked upstairs and knocked on Connor's door. There was no answer. "Connor?" Still nothing. She turned the knob and the door opened easily. "Uh oh." Dawn looked around the room. The window was open and a few of Connor's clothes were strewn around the floor. The night breeze outside blew the curtains around. "Oh crap!" She ran back downstairs. "He's gone!"  
  
"What do you mean 'gone'?" Anya asked.  
  
"As in not up there. Clothes on floor and window open. Gone."  
  
"You don't think he would try to go to LA?" Willow asked. "Do you?"  
  
Dawn walked to the front door and looked out. The van was still there. "He didn't take the van."  
  
"We should tell Faith."  
  
Dawn nodded and walked upstairs. She opened the door slightly to Buffy's room. Faith was crouching on the floor tying Spike into a chair.  
  
"We're gonna get to the bottom of this. We just can't take any chances." Faith said.  
  
"Don't.. Make it tighter-the knots'll give. I get free, someone's gonna die." Spike said.  
  
Dawn knocked lightly and opened the door. "Hey Spike. Um, Faith?"  
  
"Yeah?" Faith asked, standing up.  
  
"We need to talk."  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Connor's gone."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We think he may have headed to LA."  
  
"Great! Buffy's going to kick my ass! The house is a mess and we've lost her son. Try calling up to LA and let them know that Connor might be on his way. I'll patrol around and see if I can find him. I think you're right though. He's probably headed to LA to try and help his mom and dad."  
  
Dawn nodded.  
  
  
  
Connor stuck out his thumb. He had seen this done on movies and Dad had explained to him what they were doing. Hitchhiking. Connor liked that term. Mom had also explained that it wasn't a smart thing to do. People were killed because they had been picked up by a serial killer. Well, Connor was willing to take that chance. He had a feeling that things were bed in LA and it could somehow be connected to him. Xander had called and said that a big demon had risen up from the ground where Connor had almost been born. Things had been REALLY bad that night. It's the place where it had all come together at one time. Right now all Connor wanted to do was get to LA and 1. Help his mom and dad and 2. Figure out why he was here.  
  
A silver car pulled up beside him. Connor hopped in the passenger's seat. It was a pretty red haired girl. She said she was headed to LA and that's as far as she was going. Connor smiled and told her it was his destination.  
  
"You looking to be a big time actor?" she asked.  
  
"No. Looking for my parents." Connor said.  
  
"Oh. Did you know that it's a war zone up there?"  
  
"Yeah. That's why I'm going." He looked out the window and watched the scenery pass by him as they sped on towards LA.  
  
  
  
Buffy and Angel walked in just as Gunn said, "So we just wait because we don't now what Angel or Buffy would or wouldn't do?"  
  
"Would we do what?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Buffy! Angel! You're hurt." Fred said.  
  
"We'll be.. Let's talk about it in the morning." Angel said as he and Buffy headed upstairs.  
  
"Guys wait! Willow called and said Connor's missing."  
  
Buffy stopped and turned to look at the girl. "What?"  
  
"Yeah. You need to call her. She said he might be headed up here."  
  
Buffy half ran, half limped to the phone and dialed her house. Nobody picked up. "They're not there. Probably out looking for him." She looked at her husband. "He'll be ok. I know he will. He's our son."  
  
"Try Dawn's cell." Angel said, moving towards her.  
  
"Right. Good idea." Buffy dialed her sister's cell phone. "It's turned off! God, what if something awful happened to him! He thinks he can take care of himself, but he's got so much to learn."  
  
"I know. Come on, let's get some sleep. Fred can watch the phone. Fred?"  
  
"Of course I can. I'll come get you as soon as we hear anything." Fred said with a smile.  
  
"Ok. Sleep. Sleep good." Buffy said. She started to walk, but again, her ankle gave and she nearly collapsed. Angel gave her her dignity and caught her before anyone noticed it was her ankle. He swept her up into his arms, causing her to groan, and carried her upstairs.  
  
Once they were upstairs and in their underwear, injury inspection began. Angel's neck was closed, but far from healed. He had a few bruises here and there over his chest and back, but other than that he was fine. Buffy however had taken the brunt of the attack because of her anger. Not only was her ankle sprained, she had three broken ribs, a severely split lip, and a sprained elbow that she held tightly to her stomach. The corner of her eye was bruised, but it wasn't too noticeable. Angel bandaged her up the best he could and laid her in the bed in one of his shirts. It was easier to slip on her than anything else she owned.  
  
She slept most of the day while Angel was downstairs rummaging through his office. Cordy and Xander walked in holding hands. They entered the office and looked at Angel.  
  
"Hey man." Xander said. "You ok?"  
  
"Fine." Angel said distractedly. No one had called from Sunnydale with news of Connor.  
  
"You don't sound fine." Cordy said.  
  
"Connor's missing."  
  
"Oh. Oh God, I hope this doesn't have anything to do with last night!"  
  
"Last night? I don't think we should talk about last night."  
  
"Yeah. The fact that this hell-beast you're all looking for crawled up out of the ground in the exact spot where your son was almost born and your Slayer wife almost died seems precisely what we should be talking about right now."  
  
"Same spot?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It could just be a coincidence." Xander said.  
  
"Strange things happen." Angel said.  
  
"Like a Slayer giving birth?" Cordy asked.  
  
"What are you.. You think Connor's connected to this evil thing?"  
  
"Me? God no. He's a sweetie pie."  
  
"Then why are you telling me?"  
  
"Because he came by earlier and asked what was going on. We told him what we knew. He believes it's his fault this thing's here. He just stormed out.  
  
"Who stormed out?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Buffy!" Xander turned around and looked at his best friend. She stood in the doorway looking incredibly small and beaten in sweat pants and a T- shirt. "Oh my God! Are you ok?" He rushed up and hugged her frail form. She winced, but hugged back.  
  
"Baby, I thought you were sleeping." Angel said.  
  
"Dreams kept me awake." She looked him dead in the eye and he knew what she was talking about. The Beast beating her.  
  
"What happened?" Cordy asked, hugging Buffy gently.  
  
"Big demon thing. Don't want to talk about it." She looked at Angel. "Any word?"  
  
"He's in LA. He went to see Cordy and Xander." Angel said sadly.  
  
"I'm going to call home again." Angel nodded and watched her limp into the front desk area.  
  
"Is she going to be ok?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Give her a couple of days. She'll be fine." Angel said.  
  
"What happened?" Xander asked.  
  
"Not now Xander."  
  
"Damn it Angel, I don't care if you're her husband! She's my best friend. I was there when you weren't. I'm pretty sure you can tell me what happened to her."  
  
Angel looked at the man stunned. Xander wasn't usually so straight forward. Finally, the vampire nodded and told them to sit down.  
  
  
  
Connor walked into Lilah's office, shoving Gavin out of the way. "I have questions." Lilah smiled at him. "Connor. As if the last few hours haven't brought enough surprises. You nearly threw us for a loop here, kiddo. Sneaking in the building.. you really are like your old man, aren't you?"  
  
"It's time to find out."  
  
"Are you saying what I think you're saying?"  
  
"I want to know why I'm here. What I am."  
  
"Timeless question. And one we're more than happy to help answer. We have an in-house lab. We'll do a few easy workups: psychological, physiological, neurological.. And focus on exactly who or what you are." Behind Connor, two security guards entered. "Then we'll slice you open and start poking around."  
  
Connor whirled and dropped both guards with one punch. Then he seized Lilah by the throat and slammed her up against the wall. "I've got a different idea."  
  
"I'm open to any suggestions."  
  
"That demon you're seeking? I think I'm connected to it. I want to find out how."  
  
"Sure. No problem. Gavin, why don't you get our young friend a copy of your report, then we'll sit down and have a nice non-violent conversation."  
  
Suddenly, the lights went out and the building trembled on its foundation.  
  
"It's here." Connor said.  
  
Lilah walked over to her desk and picked up the phone. "It's probably just an aftershock. They sometimes make the power go out." The phone was dead and she looked over at Gavin. "Try a walkie."  
  
Gavin nodded and took a walkie talkie from one of the downed security guards. "This is Gavin Park to the front desk, over. Come in, front desk."  
  
There was a pause and then, "This is the front desk, Mr. Park. We've got some kind of.. oh, no! Oh, my god!"  
  
"Tell him to stop whining and make a report." Lilah said.  
  
"Send backup! Somebody, please.." The guy was cut off by a strangled scream.  
  
"I told you." Connor said. He headed for the wall and took a short sword from a display case.  
  
"Go downstairs and check it out." Lilah said to Gavin. He hesitated. "Gavin, ask yourself this question: what are you more afraid of? A giant murderous demon.. or me?"  
  
"I'll be right back." The little man ran out.  
  
Lilah looked at Connor. "You have any idea what this thing wants?"  
  
"Everybody dead." Connor took the sword and walked out, leaving Lilah alone. After a second she followed with a gun. Connor hated guns. His mother had been shot by one and nearly died. He chose to ignore it for right now.  
  
"What exactly is this thing?" Lilah asked as they made their way through the chaos.  
  
"I don't know but I think it's been following me around."  
  
"And you're just going to kill it?"  
  
"Gonna try."  
  
Lilah stopped. "And we're heading towards it right now?" She waved. "Best of luck."  
  
Connor walked on thinking about how cowardly the woman was. No wonder mom and dad hated her. He sighed and moved on. It was pretty much inevitable that he was going to be grounded for running away and now pulling this. If he didn't get killed that is. Actually, no matter what he did he was going to be killed one way or another. If he lost to the Beast, he would be killed. If he got out of this, his mom and dad and everyone in Sunnydale and LA were going to kill him.  
  
Shaking his head, Connor moved silently and cautiously among the dozens of dead Wolfram & Hart employees, looking for the Beast. He paused and surveyed the carnage. Eviscerated people were lying where they were killed, draped across furniture and countertops. Great swaths of blood dripped from the walls. Suddenly he heard gunshots coming from close by and headed in that direction. Connor entered the room where the shots had come from, sword held high, and attacked. He brought the sword down on the Beast's back but the blade snapped in two. The Beast turned to him, smiling.  
  
"Connor.." It punched Connor with one massive blow to the chest and sent him rocketing across the room where he impacted one of the building's cement central support columns. He hit with such force that the column shattered and buried Connor under chunks of concrete and steel re-bar.  
  
  
  
Buffy sat on a stool behind the reception desk talking to Quentin Travers. She had talked to Faith and found out things were getting bad in Sunnydale. Faith had been trying to reach the Council to find Giles, but they wouldn't put her through. Actually, they refused to acknowledge her as a Slayer. So Buffy had decided to call herself. They didn't really like her there either, but they listened when she talked.  
  
"I need to find him as soon as possible. He's not answering any of his numbers." Buffy said.  
  
"Mrs. Summers, the Watcher's Council does not keep track of our lapsed employees. Ever since Mr. Giles pulled up his stake in Sunnydale, we've not made it our business to follow his every move." Quentin said.  
  
"You don't have to get all British and dodgy, Mr. Travers. I know you have ways of finding him."  
  
"Well, I suppose if you feel the matter's urgent, we can look into it."  
  
"I'd appreciate it. Thank you."  
  
"Not at all. Good day."  
  
Buffy hung up the phone and sighed, putting her head in her hands. Fred looked over from the computer. "Nothing?"  
  
"No. I hate how British they can get."  
  
Fred nodded and went back to work on the computer. Gunn looked through a book, tapping his pencil on the book. Buffy finally got agitated and shot a hand out to stop the pencil. "Can you not do that?"  
  
"Oh! Sorry, it helps me think." Gunn said apologetically.  
  
"Sorry. Didn't mean to snap."  
  
"It's ok. We're all on edge."  
  
"I'm ready to crackle pop myself. The last 24 haven't exactly been normal. We're all tired." Cordy said.  
  
Angel deadpanned. "I wonder why." He kicked a sleeping Lorne who sat up and looked around.  
  
"Just.. just meditating on the problem. Yeah, asking the inner Lorne for a little backup." He said.  
  
"We're assuming it's a big connect-the-dot that Connor and the devil-y guy have this alley in common but isn't this alley right behind Caritas.. or at least what's left of it?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Yeah, that whole block is a big fat interdimensional happenin' hot spot."  
  
"Except this thing didn't emerge from a portal so much as a pothole." Xander said.  
  
Wesley walked in and Gunn looked up. "Oh, good. More bad news."  
  
"Can you just try to get along? He was your friend." Fred said.  
  
"Heavy on the 'was'."  
  
"You know where it is. The Beast." Buffy said as Wesley walked down into the lobby. She walked out and leaned on Angel.  
  
"Inside Wolfram & Hart. And so is.." Wesley started.  
  
Gunn cut him off. "That answers a lot of questions. They're probably having a big sit-down, breaking bread."  
  
"It's killing everything that moves in there."  
  
"I've heard worse news."  
  
Wesley looked directly at Buffy and Angel. "Your son is trapped inside."  
  
"WHAT!?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Oh, my god! Connor?" Xander asked.  
  
"Why would he be in there? I don't understand." Cordy said.  
  
"There's lots of things I don't understand. We're going in after him." Angel said.  
  
"Won't be easy. The building's locked tight. There's no way out." Wesley said.  
  
"But I bet there's a way in." Buffy said.  
  
"You're not going." Angel said.  
  
"Why the hell not? He's my son too."  
  
"I don't care. You're hurt."  
  
"I'll heal. That's my son in there. I'm not losing him again."  
  
"And I'm not losing you either."  
  
Buffy hauled off and punched Angel hard. He went flying back and landed on his back. "I'm going in." She stood up straighter and walked up the stairs to get changed. 


	34. Habeas Corpus and Never Leave Me part 2

Chapter 34  
  
Faith sat on Buffy's bed near Spike, watching him closely. He was struggling and it was really showing. "Can I do something?"  
  
"I think you should probably go." Spike said.  
  
"Here." Faith got up to get him some water. When she turned back around he was vamped out and pulling against his restraints. She looked down with tears in her eyes and walked out. Willow stood just outside her room and turned to look at Faith.  
  
"How's he.." Willow started.  
  
"He's been feasting on humans for weeks. He's having some pretty bad withdrawals. I think we need to get him some blood."  
  
"Do you want me to kill Anya?"  
  
"No, we should probably try to wean him off humans. He'll have to make do with animal blood."  
  
"I'll go get some."  
  
"You don't mind?"  
  
"No, I have to get out of the house. It's a little cramped and obnoxious down there."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"How.. How're you doing in there?"  
  
Faith stared at the witch for a moment, amazed that she cared about Faith's well being. "He's in pretty bad shape, past the point where he can tell me anything."  
  
"I wasn't asking about him."  
  
"I know. I'll be ok. Has anyone found Connor?"  
  
"Yeah. He's in LA. Xander called."  
  
Faith nodded and walked back into the bedroom.  
  
  
  
Angel descended the stairs with Buffy at his side, axe in hand, as the others geared up for their trip to Wolfram & Hart. Buffy didn't have a weapon. She was pissed off enough to be one.  
  
"I mean, I know you run your own shop, but an inside guy at Wolfram & Hart? Pretty amazing." Fred said to Wes.  
  
"Yes, well.. Part of the job." Wes said.  
  
Lorne handed Fred a dagger. "Thank you."  
  
"He's gonna be fine, you know. Connor's a champion, like you two. He's special." Cordy said to Buffy.  
  
"Right." Buffy looked around. "Somebody should stay here and mind the store."  
  
"Oh, me, me, me! Sergeant Stay-at-Home, volunteering for duty, ma'am." Lorne said.  
  
"Gunn let's go." Buffy said.  
  
"Buffy, assuming we can even get inside the evil empire, the same big beastie's in there who spanked our asses six ways to Sunday. What's gonna be different this time?" Gunn asked.  
  
"What's different is we're not going for the monster. We're going for Connor."  
  
"So you phoned ahead so the big bad understands that?"  
  
"Look! I don't know the answers. Don't even know most of the questions. But what I do know is that I have to go into Wolfram & Hart and find my son. Now as far as us versus the big bad is concerned.. There's only one smart way to play it. We see it, we run like hell."  
  
"Works for me." Angel stopped Cordy. He took the sword from her and set it back down. "Excuse me!"  
  
"Stay here with Lorne. You and Xander both." Angel said.  
  
She reached for the sword. "No. Connor's in danger and I.."  
  
Angel slammed his hand on the sword, pinning it down. "Cordelia. I don't want you two there. It's too dangerous. Way too dangerous. I can't risk it."  
  
"Fred, get a move on." Buffy said as she headed out the door.  
  
"Happy hunting! We'll stay here and keep the home fires burning. Bake some nice healing muffins." Xander called, happy to stay there and not go after the thing that had kicked his ass as well as the Slayer's.  
  
  
  
"Look who I found." Willow said, dragging Andrew into the Summers' living room.  
  
"Oh, this can't be good." Dawn said.  
  
"Guess who was buying mass amounts of blood at the butcher's shop."  
  
"Hey, your hair's not even black anymore!" Andrew said to Willow.  
  
"What're you doing back in town?" Faith asked, coming down the stairs.  
  
"You'll get nothing out of me, Slayer."  
  
"We'll see about that."  
  
Faith pushed Andrew into a chair and tied his wrists to it, in a similar fashion to Spike's restraints. Anya stood in front of Andrew, going through his leather trench coat.  
  
"Careful with my coat. It's expensive." Andrew whined.  
  
"Is it new?" Anya asked. She threw it on the floor and stepped on it with her shoes.  
  
"Hey! Ow!"  
  
"Now, we can do this the hard way, if you want." Faith said. She tied up other arm. "But believe me if I tell you, this will go much easier if you just tell us what you know." She tightened the restraints again.  
  
"Ow. You're barking up the wrong asparagus, man. I don't know anything."  
  
"Here's the thing. I don't believe you. Believe me, you want me to believe you."  
  
"I haven't done anything wrong."  
  
"Well, then, you won't mind if we ask you a few questions." Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah. Ok."  
  
"Why were you buying blood at the butcher shop?" Willow asked. Faith took the bag from Willow and headed back upstairs.  
  
  
  
Buffy, Angel, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred stood in a storm sewer. Wesley led the group to the exit vent he and Lilah used earlier.  
  
"This is it. I believe there's a door about 30 meters up." Wes said.  
  
"You believe or you know? Cause every time you show up believin' something, seems somebody gets their head drilled or falls into a portal." Gunn said.  
  
"Charles.." Fred said.  
  
"I'm just saying."  
  
"Yes, well I'm doing." Wes said.  
  
"HEY! Will you guys shut the hell up! I don't give a flying rat's ass about whatever's going on between you. Put it away! We're here for Connor." Buffy said.  
  
"I still don't see how you two plan on getting us up there." Gunn said.  
  
Angel dropped his bag, unzipped it, and grabbed a coil of rope. He handed it to Buffy and then cupped his hands. Buffy put one foot in and jumped. At the same time, Angel shoved up with his hands. Buffy went soaring up into the air duct. She landed and called down to Angel. He leapt straight up and scaled the sides of the air duct, quickly disappearing into the darkness above.  
  
"Show offs." Gunn said.  
  
After a moment, the rope dropped down in front of them. They climbed up one by one. Buffy, Angel, Gunn, Wesley, and Fred emerged from the stairwell to find the hallway strewn with the dead.  
  
"Oh, my god.. I know they all worked for an evil company but this is.." Fred said. Gunn whipped his flashlight around suddenly. "What?"  
  
"Heard something." Gunn said.  
  
"Power's down. We'll have to take the stairs." Angel said.  
  
They stepped over the bodies and head for the stairwell at the opposite end of the corridor.  
  
"Just so I'm clear on the plan.." Gunn said.  
  
"Third floor." Buffy said.  
  
"Get Connor." Angel said.  
  
"Get out."  
  
Fred started and spun around but there was nothing there. "Sorry, feeling a little goosey."  
  
"For good reason." Wes said.  
  
Buffy and Angel mounted the stairs, taking them two at a time. "Be quick, be quiet. As far as we know, that thing's still around." Buffy said as the group emerged from the stairwell onto the third floor.  
  
"I don't get it. Wolfram & Hart is evil, the big bad is evil.. Why go all Terminator on your own team?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Maybe all it wants is to eliminate the competition." Angel said.  
  
"Doesn't give us much to look forward to, does it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Over here." Angel and Buffy walked into the destroyed conference room.  
  
The five of them dug through the shattered remains of the concrete support column. Buffy was a little panicked, but Angel put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.  
  
"He's not in here." Buffy said.  
  
"Let's be certain." Wes said.  
  
"No, she's right. He's not. That's good. Means he's still alive." Angel assured Buffy.  
  
"Or that Sherlock got his facts wrong again." Gunn said.  
  
"No, I can smell him. Connor was here. You three take one stairwell. Sweep each floor, we'll meet up top."  
  
Buffy and Angel left and went to the stairs. They came out from the stairwell on a different floor and moved cautiously along the corridor, searching. A shadow ducked across the corridor behind them and they spun, Angel's sword at the ready. But whatever it was, it was gone. Angel held for a moment, then continued onward with Buffy. Suddenly his sword was knocked out of his hand as someone leaped out of the shadows and attacked. Angel grabbed him and slammed him against the wall, then realized it was Connor.  
  
Buffy shoved Angel away and wrapped her arms tightly, almost frantically around her son's neck. "Connor! Jesus! OH!" She was starting to cry as Connor hugged her back.  
  
"Thank god you're alive." Angel said as he hugged both Buffy and Connor. They stayed like that for a minute before pulling away.  
  
"How'd you guys know where to find me?" Connor asked.  
  
"It's a long story. We've gotta get you out of here first." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh God! Mom, are you ok?" Connor started to touch Buffy's eye and split lip gently, but she brushed his hand away.  
  
"I'm ok. Let's go."  
  
"Wait. First I have to kill that thing. This is my fault."  
  
"We can't kill it and no, it's not. We've thrown everything we can at it. It's not enough. We need to go." Angel said.  
  
"That thing did this to me. He can probably do worse to you." Buffy warned.  
  
They turned to leave only to find Gavin reaching out for them, obviously still dead but walking nevertheless. Angel decked him, then threw him headfirst into the wall. Gavin lied still for a moment then started getting slowly back to his feet again.  
  
"What the..?" Buffy asked.  
  
"He looks dead." Connor said.  
  
"He is dead. Technically undead. A zombie."  
  
"What's a zombie?"  
  
Angel picked Gavin up and threw him down the hall again. "It's an undead thing." He said.  
  
"Like you?"  
  
"No! Zombies are slow-moving dim-witted things that crave human flesh."  
  
"Like you." Buffy said with smirk.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Couldn't resist."  
  
Angel grabbed his sword back from Buffy and headed off down the corridor, pausing long enough to kick Gavin in the head as he once again tried to rise from the floor. "Come on!"  
  
Gavin started to rise again with a deathly moan and this time the dozens of other corpses in the hall started to rise with him.  
  
"Why are the doing this? Why are they zombies?" Connor asked.  
  
"I don't know but we need to find the others." Buffy said.  
  
  
  
Faith walked back into the room after she had rinsed the cup out that she had fed blood to Spike with. "Better?" Spike nodded. "Good." She sat on the edge of the bed again.  
  
"I don't remember anything." Spike said.  
  
"Well, you were having pretty bad withdrawal."  
  
"No, not that. I don't remember.. What I did."  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"It's all flashes here and there. It's like I'm watching someone else.. do it, kill people. I've been losing time for a while now, waking up in strange places."  
  
"When did your chip stop working?"  
  
"I wasn't aware that it had, you know. Not 'til now."  
  
"And the losing time? How long has that been going on?"  
  
"Oh, things have been wonky since I got back, ever since.."  
  
"You got your soul."  
  
"Figured that's what it was like, it'd been so long since I had one."  
  
"How did you do it? How'd you get your soul back?"  
  
"Saw a man about a girl. I went to seek a legend out. Traveled to the other side of the world, made a deal with a demon."  
  
"Just like that?"  
  
"No, not just like that. There was a price. There were trials, torture, pain and suffering.. Of sorts."  
  
"Of sorts?"  
  
"Well, it's all relative, isn't it?"  
  
"Meaning?"  
  
"Meaning I have come to redefine the words pain and suffering since I fell in love with you."  
  
"How can you say that?"  
  
"Apparently, I just slaughtered half of Sunnydale, pet. I'm not really worried about being polite anymore."  
  
"So, that's what this is about? You feeling sorry for yourself, Spike?"  
  
"I'm feeling honest with myself. You said some pretty nasty things that night."  
  
"Yeah, I did. So did you."  
  
"And I admitted that. Soul's not all about moonbeams and pennywhistles, luv. It's about self-loathing. I get it. Had to travel round the world, but I understand you now. I understand the violence inside."  
  
"Violence? William the Bloody now has insight into violence?"  
  
"Not the same. As bad as I was, as evil and as wretched as I was, I never truly hated myself back then. Not like I do now."  
  
A loud noise came from Dawn's room. Faith looked at Spike. "Excuse me." She walked into Dawn's room.  
  
"Somebody help. Ow!" Andrew wailed.  
  
"Everything ok?"  
  
Faith looked around. Andrew was sitting on the floor. Anya was holding his shirt collar, with her arm raised to a fist aimed at his head. Xander sat on the desk holding his sore cheek. The room had been trashed and smashed. Faith rolled her eyes and added this to the "Reasons Why Buffy and Angel Are Going To Kill Me" list.  
  
"Fine." Anya said.  
  
"Ok." Faith said, leaving the room. She walked back to Buffy's room, but paused. Spike was talking.  
  
"What do I do, job half-done? Never send a boy to do a man's job." He started to sing. "Oh, don't deceive me, Oh, never leave me."  
  
She opened the door. "Who were you talking to?"  
  
"What's that?" Spike asked.  
  
"I heard you through the door. Who were you talking to?"  
  
"Nobody. I was just, uh, keeping myself company."  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Fine. How are you?"  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"I'm fine, Faith. Really. I'm just.. feeling a bit peckish, I suppose." He looked at the bags of pigs blood on night table by the bed. "Do you mind?"  
  
Faith went towards the blood, keeping her eye on Spike the whole time. When she turned to look at the table when picking up the bag, Spike vamped out. He roared, broke the chair arms, and stood. Faith tried to fight him, but he pushed her down and went purposefully in the opposite direction. *Oh crap!* Faith thought, knowing what he was going to do.  
  
Spike shoved his arm through the wall and grabbed Andrew by his chest. Another arm broke through and grabbed his head. Andrew screamed. Spike pulled Andrew through the wall, into the Buffy's room. He bent Andrew's head over, exposing his neck, and bit him. 


	35. Habeas Corpus and Never Leave Me part 3

Chapter 35  
  
Buffy, Angel, and Connor had taken refuge in a small alcove off the main corridor. Zombies had overwhelmed them and forced them in here.  
  
"The only way to kill a zombie is to stop its brain activity." Angel said.  
  
"Cut off its head, smash in its skull.." Buffy said.  
  
"Luckily they're slow and stupid so we have a decent chance of beating them." Angel took a look out into the corridor to find a teeming throng of zombies shuffling toward them. "Unless, of course, there's hundreds of them."  
  
"Wait! Listen." Buffy said. There was a door on the other side of the hall. Fred and Wesley were yelling in there. "Come on." She, Connor, and Angel made a break for it. Buffy shoved Connor through the door first and then headed in herself followed by Angel.  
  
"Connor!" Fred said.  
  
"We got what we came for. Let's go. Wes?" Angel said.  
  
"Only two exits I know of. Third floor and lobby." Wes said.  
  
"That's too far!"  
  
"We can make it." Connor said.  
  
"Not all of us. Too many dead men walking. OH! There is another way. The White Room! It's an interdimensional space here at Wolfram & Hart." Buffy said.  
  
"Sounds kinda portal-y." Gunn said.  
  
"Not exactly. More like a gateway. And there's a little girl there.. Or something old and evil that likes to pretend she's a little girl." Angel said.  
  
"You've seen her?" Connor asked.  
  
"We met her once when we were trying to find you. She might be able to help us." Buffy said.  
  
"So fight seven floors of evil lawyer zombies or sweet talk a nasty little girl. You know where my heart's at." Gunn said.  
  
"Yeah, but I gotta disagree. I vote for the White Room. How do we get there?" Fred asked.  
  
"We're gonna need your help." Angel said.  
  
  
  
A growling Spike bit the neck of the wailing Andrew. Faith rushed to his aid, throwing Spike off of him and against the wall. Dawn and Anya rushed into the room and looked after Andrew. Spike seemed confused at the scene. Faith stood and walked to Spike. She kicked Spike in the face, knocking him out. Willow walked over to Faith and pulled her downstairs.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I'm not sure. He got out of the chair and.. He didn't seem to want anything to do with me. I mean, he just pushed me aside and charged at the wall." Faith said.  
  
"Are you hurt?" Willow asked.  
  
"Not-not really." Faith said as Dawn and Anya came down the stairs. "How is what's his name?"  
  
"He's got a good chunk taken out of his neck, but he'll be all right. Had to tie him up again, but mainly just to keep him from scratching at his bandages. What the hell happened up there?" Dawn asked.  
  
"I-I don't know. Spike and I were having a conversation, and he was fine. I mean, you know, fine as Spike can be. And then I went to check on you guys, and when I got back, it was like he was a completely different person."  
  
"Different like 'William the Bloody' type different?" Willow asked.  
  
"He was talking to someone. I heard through the door, he was having this conversation. And then he started singing."  
  
"Maybe it's another musical. A much crappier musical." Anya said.  
  
"He-he mentioned something about a song in the cellar. Uh, a-and he changed there, too.. I mean instantly became another person."  
  
"Trigger." Dawn said.  
  
"The horse?" Willow asked.  
  
"No, in his head. It's a trigger. It's a brainwashing term. Xander told me about it after he came down from being Military Guy. It's how the military makes sleeper agents. They-they brainwash operatives and condition them with a specific trigger, like a song, that makes them drastically change at a moment's notice."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"It makes sense. We've had ghosts or something haunting us, right? Well, what if Spike's ghosts have figured out a way to not only haunt him.. What if they figured out how to.. How to control him?"  
  
"Spike said he's been seeing things since I found him in the basement." Faith said.  
  
"So, he gets his soul back, he starts seeing spooky things, and he goes extra-extra-crazy." Willow said.  
  
"This trigger. How do we holster-safety, or.. I don't know guns. Just medieval weapons. How do we make it stop?"  
  
"Xander said usually the operative completes his task and either blows his head off or steals a submarine."  
  
"All right. I need information. If Spike's a bomb, then I need to know how to diffuse him." Faith looked at Dawn and Willow. "You two, I wanna know what did this to him. Spirits, ghosts, demons? Check the lot of them. Look for anything that could haunt or-or possibly control like this. I need to know exactly what we're dealing with."  
  
  
  
Dozens of zombies lurched through the lobby as Buffy, Angel and the crew entered at a run. The men and Buffy punched, sliced, and stabbed a clear path to the elevator for Fred. Angel got there first and pried open the doors for her.  
  
"Do what you can." He said.  
  
He left her to work on the elevator control panel and went back out to join the fray. Hundreds of zombies staggered toward them as Gunn, Buffy, Wesley, Connor and Angel fought furiously to keep them at bay.  
  
"Fred!" Buffy yelled.  
  
"Working on it!" Fred called back. "Come on, Fred, think. Bypass switch for a shutdown command.."  
  
"Come on Fred!" Angel said.  
  
She made a decision and attached two wires. The elevator hummed to life. "Guys!"  
  
"Let's go!" Buffy said.  
  
They broke off and piled into the elevator with her. Angel looked at the call button panel and tried to remember the code.  
  
"Do you two remember the code?" Wes asked.  
  
"Hello? Photographic memory." Angel responded. He punched 18, 23, 20, 28, and 27. Nothing happened.  
  
"Maybe you forgot." Connor said.  
  
"I didn't forget. Let me try again." He started to push in more buttons, but Buffy stopped him.  
  
"I got it!" she said, starting to press buttons.  
  
"No time like the present, Buffy." Wes said.  
  
She pushed the last button and the doors slid shut just as the first of the creatures reached out for them. A new button swirled into existence above all the others on the panel and Buffy pressed it with a triumphant smile.  
  
"Here's hoping she's in a good mood." Angel said.  
  
The elevator faded away around them and the group found themselves standing in a vast room, the walls, floor, and ceiling a glaring white.  
  
"Oh no!" Fred said.  
  
They all followed here gaze to find the Beast crouched over the girl who lied motionless on the floor. Its clawed hand hovered over the girl's chest, a dense black cloud streaming up from her body into it.  
  
"It was waiting for us all along." Gunn said.  
  
"No, I don't think so. It wanted this. The girl. Whatever she is, it came for her." Buffy said.  
  
"Is there a way out of here?" Wes asked.  
  
Across the room, the girl stirred and looked over at them. She raised her hand and pointed. "The answer is among you."  
  
The black stream pouring out of the girl came to an end and she visibly weakened. The Beast stood up and faced Buffy and Angel. It stepped over the girl and strode toward them, one lumbering step at a time. Angel and Connor raised their swords, ready to fight. With her final breath, the little girl muttered an incantation and gestured with her hand. The place flared white and then Buffy, Angel, Connor, and the others looked around to find themselves standing in the hotel lobby. Lorne looked up from his magazine to see them all suddenly standing before him and looked suspiciously at his Seabreeze.  
  
"Home.. She sent us." Angel said.  
  
Cordelia and Xander looked up, stunned at their sudden arrival right in front of them. Angel set his sword down and headed for the office as Cordelia went over to Connor and hugged him. Buffy hugged Xander and Cordy before following Angel into the office.  
  
"Angel?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can we go home? I'm tired of LA."  
  
Angel smiled. "Fine by me."  
  
  
  
Spike was lying on the floor in shackles, both hands and feet chained to the wall of Buffy's basement. His eyes were closed. Faith walked downstairs with a bowl of water and went over to him. She dipped a towel in the water and washed the blood off of his face.  
  
"Did I hurt anybody?" Spike asked.  
  
"You took a good bite out of Andrew." Faith said gently.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Tucker's brother."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"He'll be ok."  
  
"I don't remember."  
  
"It's ok."  
  
"Faith, I don't know why."  
  
"We think we do. Something's playing you. Some ghost or demon has figured out how to control you. Got the gang researching it right now." Spike pulled himself up into sitting position using the chains. "Dawn has this theory that you're being triggered."  
  
"Kill me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Faith, you have to kill me."  
  
"You don't understand. When I left the room earlier, I heard you talking to someone.."  
  
"Do you have any idea what I'm capable of?"  
  
"I was in the cellar with you. I saw what you did."  
  
"I'm not talking about the cellar. The people in the cellar got off easy. I'm talking about me. Faith, you have never met the real me."  
  
"Believe me, I'm well aware of what you're capable of. Buffy's informed me."  
  
"No, she got off easy too." He stood. "Do you know how much blood you can drink from a girl before she'll die? I do. You see, the trick is to drink just enough to know how to damage them just enough so that they'll still cry when you.. Cause it's not worth it if they don't cry."  
  
"It's not your fault. You're not the one doing this."  
  
"I already did it. It's already done." Spike paced, then stepped purposefully toward Faith. "You wanna know what I've done to girls Dawn's age? This is me Faith. You've got to kill me before I get out."  
  
"We can keep you locked up. Keep you here and we'll figure out.."  
  
"Have you ever really asked yourself why you can't do it? Off me? After everything I've done to you, to people around you. It's not just love. We both know that. Buffy killed Angel and she loved him."  
  
"You fought by my side. You've saved lives. You've helped.."  
  
"Don't do that. Don't rationalize this into some noble act. We both know the truth of it. You like men who hurt you. You always have."  
  
"No."  
  
"You need the pain we cause you. You need the hate. You need it to do your job, to be the Slayer."  
  
"No. I don't hate like that. Not you, or myself. Not anymore. You think you have insight now because your soul's drenched in blood? You don't know me. You don't even know you. Was that you who killed those people in the cellar? Was that you who waited for those girls?"  
  
"There's no one else."  
  
"That's not true. Listen to me. You're not alive because of hate or pain. You're alive because I saw you change. Because I saw your penance."  
  
He lunged violently at her, but the chains held him back. "Window dressing."  
  
"Be easier, wouldn't it, it if were an act, but it's not." Faith walked boldly toward him. "You faced the monster inside of you and you fought back. You risked everything to be a better man."  
  
"Faith.."  
  
"And you can be. You are. You may not see it, but I do. I do. I believe in you, Spike."  
  
"Well, look at that. Little Sister Faith found her inner Buffy." Spike looked at her with a face full of hope and amazement. Just then, the lights flickered and went out. Someone burst into the basement and pushed Faith away from Spike. She fell to the ground. Faith jumped back up and ran upstairs to check on the others after knocking the guy out. She came into the room and grabbed a robed person who kicked her. They continued to fight. Another robed person entered the room.  
  
Faith continued to fight the robed people. Andrew stood and tried to sneak out of the room, but Faith grabbed him and swung him at the robed people, using his body both as a shield and a weapon, before throwing him to the floor. A robed person came at her with silver curved daggers in both hands. She grabbed his wrists, kicked him back, and grabbed the daggers. One robed person lunged at her, and she stuck the dagger in his belly. When the other robed person came at her, she did the same. They screamed and collapsed. Willow entered the room.  
  
"Faith?"  
  
"Where's Dawn?"  
  
"She's ok. Is this it? I thought there was more of them."  
  
"Spike."  
  
The two girls ran down to the basement. The shackles hung on the wall, empty. Spike was gone. Faith lowered her head and turned to go back up.  
  
"They were so fast. And organized." Willow said.  
  
"They were after Spike all along." Faith said.  
  
"And we were just in the way."  
  
Faith knelt to inspect one of the robed people who was lying face-up on the floor. "I know these guys. Buffy fought them before. We aren't being haunted. This isn't some demon. It's all the same thing. Spike's ghosts, the people you guys saw, from beneath us, it's all the same thing. I know what we're up against. The First."  
  
"That thing that haunted Angel over Christmas a while back?" Dawn asked.  
  
"The same one."  
  
"Oh my God! What the hell happened to my house!?" Buffy asked as she and Angel walked in the front door with Connor behind them. 


	36. Bring On The Night part 1

Chapter 36  
  
Xander and Connor were sweeping up broken glass from the floor. Xander stopped and addressed the room. Buffy was doing research at the dining room table, sitting next to Willow who was using her laptop computer. Anya and Dawn were on the couch in the living room looking through books. Angel brought in a cup of tea for Buffy.  
  
Everyone had explained to Buffy, Angel, Connor, and Xander (who had come over later after checking on his apartment) what had been going on. Spike was missing, Faith wouldn't stop searching for him, robed guys had destroyed Buffy's downstairs, Spike had destroyed Buffy and Angel's wall in their room, and the First was back. Fun times.  
  
"It's a loop.. Like the Mummy Hand. I'm doomed to replace these windows for all eternity. You know, maybe we should just board these up until things are less Hellmouth-y." Xander said.  
  
"Whatever you want Xander." Angel said, sitting next to Buffy and paging through a book.  
  
"Nothing.. And nothing." Anya said. She held up two other books, one in each hand. "Cliff Notes to nothing. Nothing abridged.."  
  
"Yeah, my search isn't turning anything up either. Are you sure this thing called itself the First?" Willow asked Buffy.  
  
"Pretty sure. It claimed to be the original evil, the one that came before anything else." Buffy said.  
  
"Please, how many times have I heard that line in my demon days? 'I'm so rotten, they don't even have a word for it. I'm bad. Baddy, bad, bad, bad. Does it make you horny?' Or terrified. Whatever." Anya said.  
  
"It wasn't a line. When I came up against this thing, I felt it. It was ancient and enormous. It nearly got Angel to kill himself. And if we don't rescue Spike soon, God only knows what the First'll get him to do."  
  
"I wish Sleeping Ugly would come to. He's been out all night." Xander said, looking at Andrew.  
  
"Yes, he was just starting to squeal when the spooky SWAT attacked. Said the First was held up at the Seal of.. Danzar something?" Anya said.  
  
Dawn stood and walked to Andrew. "Hmm. Maybe he's just faking so he doesn't have to answer any more questions." She punched him in the face and stood back to observe. "Hmm. Or maybe he's in a fugue state." She reared back to punch him again, but Buffy interrupted.  
  
"Dawn."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He'll come to when he comes to. Keep reading. If we're gonna rescue Spike, we need to figure out how to fight this thing." Angel said.  
  
"Anya gets to hit him."  
  
"Hey! Here, The First!.. Bank of Delaware. Sorry." Willow said.  
  
"Hand me the Watchers' Codecs again." Buffy said. Someone handed her the book.  
  
"Can I get you anything else, baby?" Buffy looked up. Her mother stood there smiled at her. "How 'bout some tea?"  
  
"Mom? You're not real."  
  
"Ok, is that, uh, slang, like you're not for real, or..?"  
  
"You're the First."  
  
"Oh, baby, you're so tired, you're not making sense. Maybe you should get some sleep."  
  
"No."  
  
"You can't win against this thing. Not if you don't rest."  
  
"Stop. Stop being like this. It's a lie!"  
  
"I don't want to scare you, but I want you to take care. You need to wake up."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're dreaming baby. Wake up." Angel said. He gently rubbed her back.  
  
Buffy sat up and looked at him. "Hmm? Did you see it?"  
  
"There's nothing to see. You were just doing a little dream talking, that's all."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"You ok? What'd you see?"  
  
Buffy looked at Angel. "Nothing. Can you come into the kitchen?"  
  
Angel nodded and followed Buffy. "What's wrong?"  
  
Buffy started to cry. "Mommy. She was.. She was here! I saw her. She was here. I could feel her touching my hair!"  
  
"Baby, it was just the First."  
  
"No! It was her. The First can't talk like that!"  
  
"Like how?"  
  
"Lovingly!"  
  
"Oh, sweetie. It can. It took the form of Ms. Calendar. The things it said.. It can make you feel.. Loved."  
  
Buffy buried her face in Angel's shoulder. "It's too much! The Beast and now the First? I can't take all this! Two apocalypses at one time is too much for me to handle!"  
  
"We'll do this together. You have Faith to help too. Please don't cry." He stroked her hair and back and kissed the crown of her head until she calmed down. The dream had shaken her pretty badly. The First really knew how to bring on the torment.  
  
After she had calmed down enough and wiped the tears from her face, they walked back into the living room. Anya and Dawn were headed towards the kitchen, but when they saw Buffy and Angel coming, they changed course and sat on the couch.  
  
"Whoa! Hey!" Anya said.  
  
"Hi! Nothing!" Dawn said.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Oh, um, I thought you were gonna ask us what we were doing."  
  
"No, was going to ask.." Buffy was cut off by Andrew coughing.  
  
"Oh! Look who's awake!" Dawn and Anya walked over to Andrew.  
  
"Silly Andrew!" Anya said, slapped his chin gently. "You drooled all over yourself!"  
  
"I'm-I was about to be dead. You saved me!" Andrew said.  
  
"That was Faith.. For the time being. But if you don't tell us what we need to know, then I'm gonna offer you to the First on a platter and let him chop you into tiny pieces." Buffy said.  
  
"The First what?"  
  
"The name of the evil thing that pretended to be Warren to get you to kill Jonathan." Anya said.  
  
"Oh, not very ominous sounding."  
  
"No, i-it is if you understand the context." Dawn said.  
  
"No, an evil name should be like Lex or Voldemort or.."  
  
"Hey, I was intimidating here." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, sorry. Um, go ahead." Andrew said.  
  
"Forget it. Where's the seal?"  
  
"I'll have to show you. I can't remember the way down there."  
  
"Down where?"  
  
"The High School's basement."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and untied Andrew. She shoved him out the door and into the van. Angel jumped in the driver's seat while Xander and Dawn flanked Andrew on each side in the back. Buffy climbed in the passenger's seat and they sped off towards the High School. Connor, Anya, and Willow were going to stay at the house and research.  
  
Angel stopped and they all piled out of the van. Angel grabbed Andrew's arm and walked him into the building, down the steps, and into the basement. Andrew led them through the basement.  
  
"It's around this corner, I think." He said.  
  
"You better be right this time." Buffy said.  
  
"I told you: I'm not sure."  
  
Andrew walked into a huge room filled with dirt. A huge seal lay half buried on the ground. Xander didn't notice it at first. "Maybe you should get sure. I'm sick of all the runaround with you.." He saw the seal of Danthazar. "Whoa. Check out the goat-heady badness."  
  
"What's it do?" Angel asked.  
  
"I don't know. Something not good. It didn't work 'cause.. there wasn't enough blood." He turned to leave. "Ok!" Buffy stopped him.  
  
Dawn was investigating a wheel. "There's blood on this. Lots. Looks like the First made another sacrifice. Or a music video."  
  
"The seal could've been activated. I bet that's what the First needed Spike for." Angel said.  
  
"That wasn't there before. I had nothing to do with that." Andrew said.  
  
"Thanks for clearing that up cause otherwise we might've thought you were up to no good here at the satanic manhole cover. You killed your best friend!" Xander said.  
  
"He's in a place of joy and peace. He told me."  
  
"No, nobody told you. You got tricked by a fake ghost." Angel said.  
  
"Boys, can we save the encounter session? We need to cover this thing up." Buffy grabbed nearby shovels and handed them out. "Whatever it does, we can't leave it exposed like this."  
  
They got to work on shoveling dirt over the thing. After they covered up the seal, Xander took Andrew ahead of the group. They talked about something and then Xander got mad and shoved Andrew forward. Principal Wood passed them carrying a shovel and looking disheveled.  
  
"Buffy?" he asked.  
  
"Hey." Buffy said, a little surprised.  
  
"Hey. I thought that you were, um.."  
  
"Sick? She was. Oh, vomiting and oozing from various places and.." Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah, I remember, so please don't go on."  
  
"Oh, but now, it's amazing. The doctor gave her some cream.."  
  
"Pills." Buffy amended. "And a cream. And I'm all better." She stared at the shovel in the Principal's hand.  
  
"Oh, yeah, um, apparently somebody left this in the courtyard, and I was just returning it." He said.  
  
"That's some full-service principal-ing."  
  
"I try."  
  
Buffy looked at her own shovel. "Oh, Angel and I were down here helping Dawn with a school project."  
  
"For science." Dawn said.  
  
"We buried a, um, uh, time capsule."  
  
"Hello people of the future. Kids of today like Red Bull and, uh, Jackass."  
  
"We better go."  
  
"Buffy?" Principal Wood asked. Buffy turned back to face him. "You know if you are feeling better, I could really use you back at work. I've been wait-listing kids who really want to see you."  
  
"Oh, uh, yeah. Uh, I'm sorry, you know, I was just.. I've been ill and stuff."  
  
"No, no, it's fine, and I understand. It's just things are starting to back up."  
  
"Well I-I-I'll be there tomorrow. No problem. 100% ooze free."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Ok."  
  
They all turned and headed in their own directions. Buffy looked back a couple of times. That had been a weird encounter. Angel obviously sensed it too. They decided to ask Willow if she could do a locator spell to find the First. If that was even possible. When they got home, Dawn went straight to work researching the seal while Xander helped Willow prepare.  
  
"How's it going?" Angel asked. He and Buffy stood in the foyer watching the goings on.  
  
"Dawn's trying to find out anything she can about the Seal of Danzalthar. Will's about to do the locator spell, see if we can find the First." Buffy said, finishing with a yawn.  
  
"Why don't you go get some rest. You haven't slept for two days. We'll call you if we find anything."  
  
"Nah, I-I couldn't sleep. Too much going on."  
  
"It'll be ok, Buffy. We've faced this kind of stuff before."  
  
"You saw the First. Just as I did. We felt it. It was like.."  
  
Suddenly, a magical explosion sent Anya and Xander back against the wall in the corner. The bowl in front of Willow glowed red. Dawn shrieked and Connor yanked her back from the table, crawling away to hide. The red light surrounded Willow then entered her body through her nostrils. She threw her head back and a demonic apparition, huge with two horns on its head and glowing red eyes, escaped her mouth, lunging toward Buffy.  
  
"WILL!" Buffy and Angel started to head over to her.  
  
The demon went back inside Willow, and she stood, sending red lightning bolts from her mouth. The bolts are aimed at Buffy and Angel, knocking them down and sending them across the floor on their backs into the foyer.  
  
"You only make me stronger!" Willow said in a demon possessed voice.  
  
Xander grabbed the glowing bowl from the spell, and threw it against the dining room wall, shattering it. The light disappeared, and Willow collapsed, crying and twitching. Xander went to check on Anya. Buffy kneeled at Willow's side, holding her head.  
  
"Will." Buffy said.  
  
"It's still in me. I feel it!"  
  
"No, it's not. It's gone. You're ok."  
  
"I don't want to hurt anybody. Please, Buffy, don't let it make me. Oh, God!"  
  
"We won't. I promise, ok? I promise. We won't use magic to fight this thing until we know what we're doing."  
  
"I can't. I can't. I'm sorry."  
  
Buffy looked at Angel as she stroked Willow's hair. This last thing had really done it for her. She hated to see her friend like this. It was time to move into action. Buffy helped Willow stand while Angel went and got her a cool rag. Soon, Willow was standing off to the side of the room. Anya, Connor, and Dawn were sitting on the couch. Buffy had her coat on, ready to leave. Angel was discussing the plan with her.  
  
"At least let me come with you." He said.  
  
"I'm going alone."  
  
"You said yourself, you don't know how to fight the First, or even where it is."  
  
"It's out there. It's hurting my friends. I'll find it."  
  
Buffy opened the front door to leave, but saw Giles standing there on her front porch when she opened it.  
  
"Buffy." Giles said.  
  
"Giles!" Buffy went to hug Giles, but was cut off when three girls she'd never met walked right into her house.  
  
"Nice place. Bit of a mess." The first girl said in a thick British accent.  
  
Another one walked in and then the third sized her up. "This is a Slayer?"  
  
Buffy stared at the girls and then looked at Giles confused. He smiled slightly and said, "Sorry to barge in. We have a slight apocalypse."  
  
Buffy blinked and then stepped back to allow Giles to come in. She took her coat off and followed him into the living room.  
  
Angel asked the question on her mind. "Who are they?"  
  
"They're slayers. Well, potential slayers."  
  
The girls were lined up in a row, standing and looking around the house. Buffy nodded and looked at Giles. "Maybe I should call Faith."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
Buffy walked into the kitchen with Angel and called Faith. "Faith?"  
  
"Yeah B?" Faith asked.  
  
"You, uh.. You might wanna be here for this."  
  
"Be there for what?"  
  
"Well, there are three girls standing in my living room along with Giles and they're all Slayers. Well, potentials anyway."  
  
"Are you shitting me?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
"I'll be right there. Wouldn't wanna miss this."  
  
Buffy hung up and turned to Angel. "She's on her way."  
  
"Good." Angel said.  
  
"This is interesting."  
  
"I noticed. Potentials."  
  
"One's who might be called when I.."  
  
"Die." He said softly. "Which, lucky for them, isn't going to be for a long time."  
  
"Easier said than done."  
  
Giles walked into the kitchen. "Is everything ok?"  
  
"Yeah. Faith's on her way." Buffy said.  
  
"I really am sorry about barging in with no word."  
  
"It's ok. Really. I just wish you'd been here the past couple of months. Things have really been.. Bad."  
  
"How so?"  
  
"Well, I've gotten my ass kicked by this thing called 'the Beast,' and we don't know what it really is. Now we've got the First done here and it's got Spike. Spike has a soul.."  
  
"Yo B! Where you at girlfriend?" Faith called.  
  
"Be there in a sec Faith!" Buffy called. "Let's go before she grills the new girls."  
  
Angel nodded and they headed back into the living room. Dawn was standing in front of the three girls Giles had brought with him. The three girls were lined up against the wall, and Dawn was inspecting them, arms crossed in front of her. Faith sat on the couch, leg flung carelessly over the arm. Connor sat on the fireplace step watching them wearily.  
  
"They're all Slayers?" Connor asked.  
  
"Potential Slayers. Waiting for one to be called. There were many more like them all over the world, but, um, now there's just a handful, and they're all on their way to Sunnydale." Giles said.  
  
"The others were murdered." Buffy said.  
  
"In cold blood. As well as their watchers. We always feared that this day would come, when there'd be an attack against not just an individual Slayer, but against the whole line."  
  
"The First. That's what it wants."  
  
"Yes, to erase all the Slayers in training and their watchers along with their methods."  
  
"And then Faith, and then me. And with all the potentials gone and no way of making another, it's the end. No more slayer. Ever."  
  
"But we haven't found any information on the First. No documentation.." Willow said.  
  
"That's because it predates any written history, and it rarely shows its true face. The only record I know was in the Council Library." Giles said.  
  
"What about the Council? What do they say about this?" Angel asked.  
  
"Gone."  
  
"What?" Willow asked.  
  
"Obliterated. They were in session, and, uh, there was an explosion."  
  
"That means all the Council's records are.. Are destroyed?"  
  
"Annabelle." Girl #2 nodded and unzipped her book bag. She brought out two books and a stack of files and laid them on the coffee table in front of Willow. "That's what's left." Willow, Angel, Dawn, and Buffy each took some of the new material and read it. "The mystic secrets of the Watchers. And whatever I could find on the First. When I learned what was happening, I- I, um, I stole them."  
  
"And you blew the Council up! See, this is what happens when you're all stuffy and repressed. You overreact." Anya said.  
  
"Not.. I didn't. Must've been an agent of the First, after my little burglary session. The knowledge contained in these files had to be protected, and there wasn't time for.. For bureaucracy or debate. The Council knows no other way."  
  
"And it cost them their lives!" Andrew said loudly from his chair. Everyone turned and stared at him. He sat back. "Go on."  
  
"Can we gag him?" Buffy asked. Connor jumped up with a smile and went to Andrew. He put duct tape over his mouth. "But what do these records say about the First?"  
  
"Uh, very little. It can change form. Uh, it only appears in the guise of someone who's passed away."  
  
"Our ghosts." Willow said.  
  
"Also it's not corporeal. It can't touch or fight on it's own. It only works through those it manipulates. And its followers, the Bringers."  
  
"Those freaks in the black robes." Girl #3 said.  
  
"Yeah, with the hoodies and the crazy alphabet eyes. I never saw 'em, I just heard.." #1 said.  
  
"Shh! Molly, Mr. Giles doesn't need us prattling on." Annabelle said.  
  
"The First is unlike anything we've faced before. I mean, there's evil and then there's the thing that created evil, the source." Giles said.  
  
"And that's what this thing claims to be?" Angel asked.  
  
"That's what it is. It has eternities to act, endless resources. How to defeat it, I-I honestly.. I don't know. But we have to find a way. If the Slayer line is eliminated, then the Hellmouth has no guardian. The balance is destroyed. I'm afraid it falls to you, Buffy. Sorry. I mean, we'll do what we can, but you're the only one who has the strength to protect these girls, and the world, against what's coming."  
  
"But no pressure." Connor said bitterly.  
  
"Hey! I'm here." Faith said.  
  
"Sorry Faith." Giles said.  
  
"Sure I've been a little busy with this whole Spike thing, but I'm here now. I live in this world and there is no way this stupid thing is going to stop me from doing that. I may not be as strong as B, but I'm still a Slayer."  
  
Giles nodded. Girl #3 looked around. "That's it? That's the plan? I don't see how one person, even a Slayer, could protect us. I saw what those Bringer guys can do. They tore apart my watcher."  
  
"Of course we'll use all our resources.." Giles said.  
  
"And if this thing is the root of all evil, isn't the Hellmouth it's number one vacation spot? I mean, don't you think we should be hiding our asses on the other side of the globe?"  
  
"Kennedy!" Annabelle said.  
  
"No, she's not wrong. We need more muscle. That's why we need to find Spike." Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, he'll help. You know, if he's not crazy or off killing people or dead. Or, you know, all of the above." Anya said.  
  
"We seem to have a lot of muscle here." Molly said, eyeing Angel.  
  
Buffy moved closer to Angel and took his hand. "Giles, I may know where we can find the First. Or maybe some Bringer people."  
  
"Yes?" Giles asked.  
  
"Do you remember that Christmas when it snowed? When Angel tried to kill himself and the snow stopped him?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I saw the First. Well, it was in the form of Ms. Calendar, but I saw it. Angel saw it too. It haunted him, remember?"  
  
"I suggest that we go and take a look."  
  
"Wouldn't hurt." Angel said. He, Giles, and Buffy got their coats on.  
  
"Faith, you stay here and keep an eye on everybody. We'll be back as soon as we can." Buffy said. She, Angel, and Giles left. 


	37. Bring On The Night part 2

Chapter 37  
  
"This place you originally saw the First? You say it was in a Christmas tree lot?" Giles asked.  
  
"Under it. There was a hidden cavern. Just happened to be under a tree lot. The Bringers were doing some kind of ritual." Buffy said, then she looked directly at Giles. Giles, this is bad, isn't it? A new kind of bad."  
  
"Just in time for Christmas."  
  
"You know, I didn't even realize it was December. Maybe when we get home, we should decorate the rubble. Think you'll ever show up for a real visit? The kind where the world isn't about to end?"  
  
"If we survive this, I promise."  
  
"Good. Cause I miss you."  
  
"I miss you too."  
  
"We all miss you. Connor.. Well, I don't know if there's a day that goes by he doesn't ask when grandpa Giles is coming home."  
  
"How is he doing? He seems a bit angry with the world."  
  
"He's mad at himself." Angel said. "That Beast Buffy and I told you about. He blames himself for it. The thing came up where he was almost born and Buffy almost died. That's also where Holtz first came in contact with Buffy."  
  
"Not that I remember any of it."  
  
"Well, you were really out of it sweetheart."  
  
"Pain. Lots of it. Oh, hey! I remember that."  
  
Giles smiled at the two as they continued their talk. He loved to see that his Slayer was well taken care off and that she was in love.  
  
"Hey, here it is." Buffy opened the gate to the old tree lot.  
  
"So the entrance to the cave was above ground here?" Giles asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was around here somewhere."  
  
"Well, we'll just keep.."  
  
"Buffy!" Angel cried.  
  
"Aah!" Giles turned to look when Buffy screamed. She had fallen through a hole. "Found it!" She called up.  
  
"Good lord, are you all right?" Giles asked.  
  
"Peachy, except my knees bend backwards now. Ok, guys, stay up there. I'm gonna check it out."  
  
"Right."  
  
Giles and Angel watched Buffy move around in the cave. She walked around among the various cave formations. She looked up, she looked down, and then something passed behind her, unseen. She turned to look, but no one was behind her. When she turned back, a hideous waxy creature hissed in her face. Buffy was startled, and the thing took the opportunity to punch her so hard she flew across the room, landing against the wall and falling to the ground. It kicked and punched her with such force that her blocks were mostly ineffective.  
  
Buffy retreated, but it followed. Finally she got some good offensive and moved in, but the thing was able to avoid or block more than half of them. It punched her again, sending her rolling into another room. She got to her feet before the thing could get to her and readied herself with a stake. When it finally came close enough, she staked him right through the heart. It looked at the stake, growled, looked at Buffy, and took out the stake. Buffy stared at the thing in utter shock.  
  
"Buffy!?" Angel called.  
  
The thing punched Buffy and came after her with her own stake. Buffy avoided it's attacks, but her back was literally against the wall. Her eyes were still wide as she watched the thing come after her. It punched her in the stomach and threw her against the wall. She threw a punch at him, but it caught her fist in it's palm and squeezed until it made crunching sounds. Then it twisted her arm and pulled her body by the arm until it slammed her head into a stalagmite, before finally grabbing her throat, squeezing, and lifting her off the ground. Buffy winced and looked around desperately until she found a stalactite. She broke the stalactite off of the cave ceiling and bashed the thing's head with it. It dropped her and fell to the ground.  
  
While the thing was recovering, Buffy made a run for it. She climbed the cave walls toward the hole where she fell in. She was almost out, her hands were on the Christmas tree lot ground, when the thing grabbed her heel. Buffy struggled against him, trying to get out of the hole, but the thing pulled her back in. Angel grabbed her arm and held onto her tightly. She kicked the thing in the head and tried again to crawl out of the hole. She barely got out of the hole and looked up at Angel, who was backlit by the rising sun, which he blocked. The thing started to crawl out of the hole, but it saw the sunlight and retreated back into the cave.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Buffy asked, gasping for breath as she and Angel laid on the ground.  
  
"Let's get you home and fixed up. Those bruises look pretty bad." Giles said, helping her stand and then Angel.  
  
"Giles, no dodging."  
  
"Let's get home and I'll explain it there. Angel's got the Gem of Amara on. If that thing realizes that, Angel could be in danger also."  
  
"Nothing new there." Angel muttered as they walked home.  
  
"Giles, I don't think we should tell the others just yet. It'll give us a chance to.." Buffy trailed off as she opened the door and found the three potentials raiding her kitchen.  
  
"Sorry about the British invasion." Kennedy said.  
  
"We've been up for hours." Molly added.  
  
"4 P.M. London time." Annabelle said.  
  
"Are you all right? You look.." Kennedy said.  
  
"Oh. Yeah, I'm ok. I just got into a fight is all." Buffy said. She turned to Giles. "You want to tell me with what?"  
  
"Yes, Buffy, but don't you think we should, uh, discuss this privately?" Giles asked.  
  
"You mean, not in front of the next generation? No time to coddle them, Giles. Welcome to the war room, guys."  
  
"Uh, what you fought was a vampire, but it was, um, something more than that. It was a Turok-Han. As Neanderthals are to human beings, the Turok- Han are to vampires. Primordial, ferociously powerful killing machines, as single-minded as animals. They are the vampires that vampires fear. An ancient and entirely different race and, until this morning, I thought they were a myth."  
  
"So, the First shows up, then the Beast, and now this? You think it's a coincidence?" Angel asked.  
  
"I think it's more likely that the Turok-Han is here as an agent of the First. As for the Beast, I don't really know."  
  
"Um, did you slay it? The Turok thing?" Annabelle asked.  
  
"No, it's still out there, somewhere." Buffy said.  
  
"What's it want?" Molly asked.  
  
"All of us dead. But for now it looks like sunlight is keeping this UberVamp away."  
  
"So, until sunset, I suggest you get some rest. A few hours sleep will do a world of difference." Giles said.  
  
"No sleep today. Can't."  
  
"Oh, come on, you're exhausted."  
  
"Ah, it comes with the gig. Somehow I don't think taking on prehistoric evil comes with naptime. Sorry, potential guys. I know you came a long way, and you wanna get into it, but the best thing you can do right now is just sit tight, wait it out. I'm gonna go to work, see what I can find out. I'll be back before sunset."  
  
"How do you plan to research something as ill-defined as the First?"  
  
"I have the best plan ever." Buffy walked out and headed towards her bedroom.  
  
Angel followed. "Work? This really isn't the time for work, honey."  
  
"I know, but I need to do something to get my mind off of.. Everything."  
  
"I'm coming with you then."  
  
"No. Someone needs to stay here and watch the girls. The Bringers could come back."  
  
"Faith's here. She can handle it."  
  
"I don't think Principal Wood would like it if I brought you to work. It's not exactly show and tell."  
  
"I'm going with you."  
  
"Fine. I don't wanna get punched."  
  
Angel rubbed his jaw where Buffy had hit him not long ago. "I don't wanna get punched either."  
  
Buffy nodded and finished putting her shirt on. They walked out and headed to work. Angel sat behind her in her little cubicle flipping through a file from the Watchers Council while Buffy researched the on the Net and talked to Faith over the phone.  
  
"Yeah, well, I already re-checked the basement. Wait, you know, hold on, I'm gonna try something." She typed and then sighed. "Maybe the First isn't ready for modern technology. Displaying results 1 through 10 of 900,517. Ok, I gotta narrow this down. I'll call you back? Yeah."  
  
Principal Wood walked up and read her computer screen. "Manifestations of evil?" Buffy typed more in the search field and he read what she had typed. "In.. the.. movies." He looked at Buffy. "You're searching for evil movies?"  
  
"Uh, I know it's not the all-time most kosher use of my office hours, um, but, you know, looking at some down time. And what can I say, I just love those evil, evil movies. Like Exorcist, you know, Blair Witch.. Right honey?"  
  
Angel turned around. "Yeah. She's a sucker for em."  
  
"Hmm. As opposed to Rob Schneider's Oeuvre." Wood said.  
  
"Different kind of evil." Angel said with a slight shudder.  
  
"Yeah. Buffy, you know, I'm not that big a fan of scary movies, even the hokie ones. Sometimes they go to a place that I think kids could stand to avoid." He sat in the chair in front of her desk and crossed his arms and leaned forward on her desk.  
  
"Well, it's not for the kids." Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm only saying that once you see true evil, it can have some serious after burn, and then you can't un-see what you saw. Ever. That's just one opinion. I better get back to work." Wood stood up and started to leave.  
  
"What kind of movies do you like?" Buffy called after him.  
  
"Oh, me? Mysteries. I love finding out what's underneath it all at the very end." He walked away.  
  
"That guy has some creepy issues." Angel said.  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
They both went back to researching. After a while, Buffy decided to go to the bathroom. She walked down the hall and entered the ladies restroom. The school bell rung. Buffy washed her face in the sink. She touched a sore spot on her face, then went to inspect her arms as well. She unzipped the arm of her blazer to reveal scrapes and bruises worse than she'd ever seen on herself. She winced as she touched them. Then, someone's loving touch and Buffy turned to find her mother in their bathroom at home.  
  
"Buffy, what happened?" Joyce asked.  
  
"Uh, oh, it's ok, Mom." Buffy said.  
  
"I tried to warn you, but.. right. The last thing you need now is one of helpful Mom's guilt trips. I'll get you some ice."  
  
"No, Mom. I-I can't."  
  
"Buffy, you have to heal."  
  
"I don't have time."  
  
"Are you worried about the sun going down? Because there's some things you can't control. The sun always goes down, the sun always comes up."  
  
"Everyone's counting on me."  
  
"Well, they do that, and I'm sorry, Buffy, but these-these friends of yours put too much pressure on you. They always have."  
  
"Something evil is coming."  
  
"Buffy, evil isn't coming, it's already here. Evil is always here. Don't you know? It's everywhere."  
  
"And I have to stop it."  
  
"How are you gonna do that?"  
  
"I-I don't know yet, but.."  
  
"Buffy, no matter what your friends expect of you, evil is a part of us. All of us. It's natural. And no one can stop that. No one can stop nature, not even.."  
  
The school bell rang and Angel was rubbing her back and saying quietly, "Buffy. Honey, wake up."  
  
Buffy looked up, forgetting that she had been talking to a student. "Oh, um, I'm sorry. What were we talking about?"  
  
"Only my life. You're just like all the others." The boy said.  
  
"No. No, no, no. I'm different. I'm hip. I relate to the young people. No, don't go, uh, uh.."  
  
"Roger." Angel said.  
  
"Roger. See? I knew that!" Roger left. Buffy sighed and hung her head in her hands. "Oh.. You could have kept me awake."  
  
"I tried. Baby, you need to go home and get some rest."  
  
"I can't rest. The world is depending on me."  
  
"Not just you Buffy. It's depending on your friends, Faith, me, and Connor. This is our big battle Buffy. And you need rest. Come on, we're going home. The sun will be down in a couple of hours. I'll sleep with you if it'll make you rest easier."  
  
Buffy looked at him a moment and then nodded. As she got her stuff together, Angel went and told Principal Wood that they were leaving. They got home to find the S.I.T.s raiding her kitchen again and watching TV. Angel forced her upstairs and into the bed. Buffy barely slept, but she did shut her eyes long enough to feel a little more rejuvenated. That evening, they headed back downstairs and started preparing. Dawn and Willow were getting weapons from the weapons chest, Giles was pacing, Xander was finishing up working on the living room window, the slayers in training were sitting on the couch, and Faith and Connor were standing next to Buffy watching everything.  
  
"This day's almost over." Giles said, looking at his watch. "And the sun will go down in 17 minutes."  
  
"Hey, junior slayers, don't look so worried. I mean, sure, we don't know where Spike is, or how to fight the First, or if and when the super style vampire is gonna attack us all. However, the house is boarded up. Now all we gotta do is trap this UberVamp in a pantry, and it's game over." Xander said.  
  
"Xander, newbies. Let's ease them into the whole 'jokes in the face of death' thing." Willow said.  
  
"Who's joking? That pantry thing could work. Are you saying M. Night Shamalayan lied to us?"  
  
"You'll be ok." Buffy said to the three girls on her couch.  
  
"Ok, or even better. It's like our guarantee." Willow said. "Um, Buffy, I just, I want you to know that I'm really sorry for letting you down. You know, here before with the magic going all aah and me going all eeee and everything getting all rrrr. I wish I could help out."  
  
"No one expects you to make everything right." Angel said.  
  
"So, I can't do everything, but I should at least be able to do something. I have so much power, but when I try to use it.."  
  
"Don't, ok?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Ok. But, you need help, Buffy. I know you, and I know you'll never admit it, but you need help."  
  
"I'll be ok. Ok, or better. It's like my guarantee."  
  
"Hey, are we getting weapons? Trained fighters? Patton is coming? I've heard worse ideas." Kennedy asked, walking up to Buffy and Angel.  
  
"We'll be armed when the slayer feels we're ready." Annabelle said.  
  
"I feel ready." Molly said.  
  
"You're frightened. You must learn to control your fear."  
  
"Hey, you know what would help with that? Weapons." Kennedy said.  
  
"Uh, I don't know about that.." Buffy said.  
  
"We're sitting ducks without them."  
  
"We're with the slayer. Safe as houses." Annabelle said.  
  
"Do you see the house we're in?"  
  
"It'll come straight for us, won't it?"  
  
"We should load them up, Giles." Angel said.  
  
Giles nodded and went to talk to the girls about weapons. Buffy, Angel, and Connor followed Xander into the dining room.  
  
"Listen to me, man, I've got a bad feeling about this." Andrew said.  
  
"Of course you've got a bad feeling, dude. You're-you're tied to a chair." Xander said.  
  
"No. Yeah, but above and beyond that. I'm telling you that my spider- sense is tingling. This is gonna get hairy. I'm talking weird with a beard. Better untie me."  
  
"And that'll help us how?" Connor asked.  
  
"Ok, I know what you're thinking. Andrew, bad guy. You think I'm a super- villain like Dr. Doom or Apocalypse or-or The Riddler. But I admit I went over to the dark side, but just to pick up a few things, a-and now I'm back. I've learned. I'm good again."  
  
"And when were you good before?" Angel asked, walking out of the room with Buffy and Xander.  
  
"Ok, technically, never. Touché." Andrew struggled against his restraints. "But I'm like Vader in the last 5 minutes of Jedi with redemptive powers minus a redemptive struggle of epic redemption which chronicles.. These ropes itch."  
  
Connor rolled his eyes and walked out. He walked into the kitchen and sat down on the counter. Angel swatted him off and looked over at Buffy. She was nervously looking out the window of the backdoor. Angel walked up behind her.  
  
"How're we doing on time?" she asked.  
  
"Sunset should be any minute now. We've done everything we can. Don't worry, everyone here understands that you're calling the shots." Angel said.  
  
"I just hope I'm calling the right ones."  
  
"You have all my faith. And they're depending on you."  
  
"Angel, that's not exactly what I needed to hear right now."  
  
"Guys? Annabelle split." Molly said, coming into the kitchen.  
  
"Great. Ok, me, Angel, Willow, and Xander will go out and look for her. We'll try to meet up somewhere near the industrial complex. If we don't find her, Willow, you do a locator spell. Everyone got it?" They all nodded. "Good."  
  
  
  
Buffy made her way to the industrial manufacturing complex. She walked past the dumpster and saw Annabelle's body lying still on the ground. Buffy paused, taking a moment to contemplate the situation. Suddenly, the UberVamp attacked her from behind, knocking her to the ground. Buffy crawled away to crouch beside the dumpster. She looked at the UberVamp and then got up to fight with it. She kicked, it ducked. She punched, it blocked. It punched her in the face, then in the stomach, and Buffy fell to the ground face first. It picked her up and tried to choke her, but she spit blood in its face, startling the thing, and Buffy managed to escape its clutches. She ran away, hiding in the nearby factory. The UberVamp licked the blood off of its face, growled, and headed after Buffy.  
  
Buffy ran into the factory and looked around for somewhere to hide. She wasn't making a fast flight since she was limping. She went deeper into the building, which was very industrial in nature with many vertical metal pipes and valves. The UberVamp had followed her to the building and was looking for her. She surprised it by coming from behind it and smacking it in the head with a large metal pipe, but she didn't even manage to knock it down. They fought and the thing wrestled the pipe from her hand when she swung it at the UberVamp again. It threw the pipe to the ground and they returned to martial arts.  
  
It punched her and she bent over at the waist. It kicked her in the chest, sending her crashing into a metal support beam. The thing came at her again, and she dropped to the ground to avoid his fist. Buffy stood, and it punched and kicked her, finally causing her to double over in pain as it punched her ribs. It punched her in the head, sending her to the ground again. It picked her up, backhanded her in the face, then punched her so hard, she flew 25 feet across the room.  
  
It ran toward her, but she looked around and noticed a pulley hoisting a pallet of metal beams. Buffy kicked a control lever for the pulley, sending the beams crashing on top of the UberVamp as it came towards her. Still lying on the ground, Buffy hid her face as they landed. She got up and ran away slowly, still limping, but stopped and turned around. Her eyes widened as she saw the UberVamp rising from the pile of metal beams, unhurt. It leaped out of the rubble and sprinted after her.  
  
In no time at all, the thing had caught up to her, grabbing her from behind and throwing her into a concrete wall. She stepped back, still standing, as the UberVamp literally crawled up the wall to gain momentum and height to kick her in the face, knocking Buffy to the ground. Then it kicked her in the head again before grabbing her arm and throwing Buffy through a concrete block wall. The wall crumbled down on top of her, the roof caved in, and there was blackness.  
  
Angel heard the commotion and ran over to see what had happened. As he rounded the corner, the UberVamp was running off and Buffy was being crushed under a falling concrete wall. "Buffy!" He lifted off part of the metal roof that had fallen on top of Buffy, revealing her body lying there still on the ground in a pile of rubble, her face covered with blood. "Oh God!"  
  
Angel cleared more stuff out of the way and ran over to her just as Willow and Xander ran over. He held her up and started to wipe the blood away with his shirt. "Come one baby, wake up. I can hear your heart. Please." Angel frantically wiped the blood away and stroked her cheek. She groaned and Angel picked her up. They ran home with her and Angel took her upstairs, lying her in the bed.  
  
A few hours or so passed before she woke up. She looked around to find that she was alone in her and Angel's room. Standing painfully, she walked to the door. Voices floated up to her and they didn't sound at all positive. Feeling defeated, Buffy walked over to the chair and curled up, listening to what they were saying.  
  
"We could make plans as we always do, but the truth is, Buffy was our plan. There is no back up." Giles said.  
  
"Giles, she looks bad." Willow said.  
  
"She does. I'm afraid there may be internal bleeding."  
  
"What does that mean? Will she.." Connor asked.  
  
"Die? I don't think so. I don't know."  
  
"What do we do if she can't fight, if she can't beat this thing?" Willow asked.  
  
"We're back at square one."  
  
"Which square would that be, exactly?" Xander asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. The First predates everything we've ever known, or can know. It's everywhere. It's pure. I don't know if we can fight it."  
  
Buffy walked down the stairs. Angel was standing in the doorway brooding. She knew over what. "You're right. We don't know how to fight it. We don't know when it'll come. We can't run, can't hide, can't pretend it's not the end, cause it is. Something's always been there to try and destroy the world. We've beaten them back, but we're not dealing with them anymore. We're dealing with the reason they exist. Evil. The strongest. The First."  
  
"Buffy, I-I-I know you're tired." Giles said.  
  
"I'm beyond tired. I'm beyond scared. I'm standing on the mouth of hell, and it is gonna swallow me whole." Her mood suddenly changed to defiant. "And it'll choke on me. We're not ready? They're not ready. They think we're gonna wait for the end to come, like we always do. I'm done waiting. They want an apocalypse? Oh, we'll give 'em one. Anyone else who wants to run, do it now. Cause we just became an army. We just declared war. From now on, we won't just face our worst fears, we will seek them out. We will find them, and cut out their hearts one by one, until the First shows itself for what it really is. And I'll kill it myself. There is only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil, and that's us. Any questions?"  
  
No one lifted a hand. Buffy nodded and walked outside onto the porch. Angel followed her. He didn't say anything, just walked over to her and held her. Together, they watched the sun come up. 


	38. Showtime part 1

Chapter 38  
  
"Angel, hurry!" Buffy said. "We can't miss this girl."  
  
"I know Buffy, I'm driving as fast as I can without getting pulled over. That would really delay us." Angel said.  
  
They pulled up to the bus depot and hopped out. The place was closed. "Great!"  
  
"Let's check the loading area. Maybe she's over there."  
  
They headed over to where all the buses were parked. It was dark and a few people were heading back towards the front. Buffy looked up and saw a hooded robe. She smiled and moved around some buses with Angel beside her. Two stood between two buses. Buffy walked up silently behind one and Angel behind the other. The pair of Bringers between the buses were lifted off the ground by Buffy and Angel and thrown apart. The third Bringer ran away while the two that had been thrown came back for more. One lunged at Buffy with his knife, but Buffy grabbed his hand and stabbed the other Bringer Angel was holding with the knife. The stabbed Bringer doubled over in pain, and Angel kicked him to the ground. Buffy continued to wrestle with the other Bringer, ultimately breaking his neck. She then saw the one who started running away, and called out to him.  
  
"Hey!" She bent to pick up a Bringer's knife at her feet. "Try picking on someone my own size." She hurled the knife at the fleeing Bringer, landing it in his back, and stabbing him through the heart. Buffy and Angel walked up to Rona, who was still cowering on the ground.  
  
"Rona, right?" Angel asked. Rona nodded.  
  
"We just got word you were arriving." Buffy said, helping the girl stand.  
  
"You're them!" Rona said.  
  
"Them is us."  
  
"You know, I thought, uh.. They told me I'd be safe here."  
  
"Right. Well, you are. I mean, you will be.. Safer.. With us around."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"Next time you're attacked.."  
  
"Whoa, whoa.. Next time? You saying I'm gonna get attacked again?"  
  
"Welcome to the Hellmouth." Buffy and Angel said as they led Rona back to the van.  
  
"Nice van."  
  
"It's got Playstation 2 in the back." Buffy said. "Connor wanted one and we figured since a lot of travel between LA and Sunnydale would be going on, why not stick one in for the fun."  
  
"Cool! What games you got?"  
  
"I dunno. I never play the thing. I usually just sleep."  
  
"And I drive." Angel said.  
  
"Wait, who's Connor?"  
  
"Our son." Buffy said.  
  
"How old is he?"  
  
"17."  
  
"And you're how old?"  
  
"21."  
  
"Now how's that happing?"  
  
"Long, long story, but the short version: got taken to a hell dimension when he was a baby where time moves a lot faster."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"You'll get to know everyone pretty quick."  
  
"I heard there was another Slayer."  
  
"Faith. You'll love her too."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Well, here it is." Buffy said as she opened the door. When she and Angel walked in, everyone looked up at her. "You guys are all still up?"  
  
"Ah! Who needs sleep?" Xander said.  
  
"Everybody, this is Rona."  
  
"Hi. Hi Rona." Everyone said.  
  
"Hey Rona." Andrew said.  
  
"Hey Rona." Xander said, sitting up.  
  
"Um.. Why is that guy tied to a chair?" Rona asked.  
  
"The question you'll soon be asking is, 'Why isn't he gagged?'"  
  
Giles and Anya walked in. Giles looked at the Molly. "Molly, why don't you show our new houseguest where the kitchen is. I'm sure she's hungry after her travels."  
  
"Fair enough. I'm a bit peckish meself." Molly said.  
  
"Bit what as well?" Rona asked.  
  
"That's English for 'hungry.'" Anya said, rolling out another sleeping bag.  
  
"Oh, here I thought 'hungry' was English for 'hungry.'" Rona said, following Molly.  
  
"Everything all right?" Giles asked Buffy and Angel.  
  
"She had a welcoming committee." Angel said.  
  
"So, the First knows potential slayers are making their way here?" Xander asked.  
  
"I must warn the coven to be cautious." Giles said.  
  
"The First's always gonna be one step ahead of us, Giles. I need to know how to stop it. No, not stop it, hurt it. I want to hurt it real bad. Tell me how." Buffy said.  
  
"I-I don't know, Buffy. I've exhausted all the sources I have left with little result. The Watcher's records are still really all we have to go on."  
  
"I made the rounds myself. Tried to dig up anything useful from the demon community." Anya said.  
  
"They're a community now?" Xander asked. "What's next, the Ladies' Auxiliary?"  
  
"The ones that didn't attack me, didn't know anything or didn't talk. Either way, we've got squat."  
  
"Well, squat's not gonna cut it. What about the Turok-Han?" Buffy asked.  
  
"The vampire time forgot?" Xander asked.  
  
"Time may have forgotten him, but I sure won't. We know stakes don't kill it, but anything in those ancient books about what does? Sunlight, fire, germs?"  
  
"So, Giles, with that thing guarding the entrance to the First's crib, how will Buffy and Faith get to Spike?" Andrew asked.  
  
"I really hate to admit this, but he's not wrong. There's no way we'll be able to help Spike until that thing is out of the way."  
  
"Spike? Sorry, I'm confused. He's that vampire who's been killing people, right? He's the one you're worried about helping?" The blonde SIT asked.  
  
"Well, we need him to.. He's the one that's been.. It's complicated, Chloe."  
  
"I'm Chloe, she's Eve." A brunette SIT said.  
  
"It's just, well, we've been talking, and do we have some kind of plan? You know, any kind of plan to keep us from dying?" Eve asked.  
  
"We're working on it." Buffy said.  
  
"There is one avenue that we haven't tried yet.." Giles said.  
  
"Giles!" Anya exclaimed.  
  
"Beljoxa's Eye."  
  
"And exactly what part of town is that avenue in?" Xander asked.  
  
"I told you no." Anya said.  
  
"Wh-what is Botox's eye?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Beljoxa's Eye. It's an oracle type creature that exists in a dark dimension." Giles said.  
  
"Internal vortex more like." Anya said.  
  
"Fun." Buffy said.  
  
"Not really, no."  
  
"The point is, only demons can open the gateway to it." Giles said.  
  
"Excuse me, ex-demon here."  
  
"You're still friends in the fold. Murderous acquaintances, anyway."  
  
"Look, there's no reason to think this Beljoxa's Eye will have any of the answers we're looking for."  
  
"I'll take anything I can get. Anya, please, we're running out of time." Buffy said.  
  
"Spike's running out of time." Faith added, walking downstairs. Her hair was wet and she was in baggy sweat pants and a sweatshirt of Connor's. Buffy eyed the shirt suspiciously. "Don't worry B. Connor let me borrow it. He's in the shower now. Wanted me to tell you."  
  
"Oh, good."  
  
"Ok, this is going to sound parental-ish," Angel said. "But it's time for everyone to get some sleep. I love a great pajama party as much as the next vampire, but we all need sleep."  
  
"You're a vampire?" Rona asked, coming back into the living room in her PJs.  
  
"It's ok." Molly said. "He's a good vampire. Has a soul and everything." She winked at Angel.  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and grabbed Angel's hand, dragging him up the stairs. "Goodnight everyone."  
  
  
  
Buffy woke up and looked up at her still sleeping husband. Her legs were tangled with his and their arms were wrapped around each other's waists. It was amazing that in these chaotic times, they could still find peaceful moments like this. She kissed his chest lightly and his eyes slowly opened and looked down at her. A small smile spread over his face.  
  
"Morning." Buffy said.  
  
Angel looked at the clock. "Almost afternoon."  
  
"Let's pretend. We can say that we thought it was morning so we could sleep longer. Or our clock was blinking cause a ghost unplugged it."  
  
Angel chuckled. "Maybe we should get up. If we don't, I think there won't be a house left downstairs."  
  
"I'm actually looking forward to going back to LA as soon as things calm down."  
  
"Connor is too. There's just too many girls in this house."  
  
"Yeah. Mmm." Buffy stretched in the bed and rolled away. She got up and wrapped herself in her mom's big fluffy robe. "Thanks mom." Buffy muttered as she tried to burrow deeper into the robe.  
  
"I miss her too." Angel said behind her.  
  
She turned. "I don't know how many more of these dreams I can handle Angel. If it's the First, it's doing one hell of a job with the torture. If not.. Let's just say what if it is mom? Really mom. She's been warning me. I don't know what she's warning me about, but I can't just ignore it."  
  
"No, you can't. We'll sort all this out. I promise."  
  
"Come on. We need to grab a shower while it's not overrun with potentials."  
  
Angel nodded and they headed towards the bathroom. After a nice, hot shower, they got dressed and headed downstairs. Andrew was complaining about his ropes itching to Connor, who looked like he really didn't care, Kennedy, Dawn, Molly, Nora, and Chloe were all in the kitchen munching, a few of the girls were hanging out in the basement working out, Willow was on the phone, and Xander was upstairs in Willow's room trying to get some shut eye.  
  
"Mom, he smells." Connor said.  
  
"I resent that." Andrew said.  
  
"You would. Pawn scum."  
  
"Twerp."  
  
"I could kick your ass from here to the seventh circle of hell and back and not even break a sweat."  
  
"Ok guys, cut it out. Angel, let's just untie him. I don't think he's going anywhere." Buffy said.  
  
Angel walked over and started to untie Andrew. "Ow! Watch it! That's my joystick hand." Andrew whined.  
  
"I'm not gonna touch that one." Angel said.  
  
"Ok, listen up, Andrew. I don't exactly know what to do with you, except that we don't have time to babysit a hostage." Buffy said.  
  
"Especially a hostage that's gotten more than a little ripe." Angel said, scrunching his face up at the smell.  
  
Buffy and Connor each made a face and stepped back a few feet away from Andrew. "So, I'm here to tell you, if you try anything, try to run.. Did you ever see the movie Misery?"  
  
"Six times. But the book was scarier than the movie cause instead of crushing his foot with a sledge hammer, Kathy Bates chops it off with.." Andrew stopped rambling when he saw Buffy glaring at him and swallowed. "I'll be good."  
  
"Buffy, word from the underground. Another potential arrived in town the day before yesterday. She's at the Sun Spot Motel, near the highway." Willow said, running in from the living room.  
  
"The day before yesterday? Why are we just finding out about it now?" Angel asked.  
  
"Bringers killed her watcher before he could tell anyone he sent her. If it wasn't for a particularly powerful seer in the coven, we wouldn't even know about it now."  
  
"Ok, I mean, there's still a couple of hours of daylight left. You guys should be safe here. Angel and I'll get her and bring her back." Buffy said.  
  
"All right, retrieving a potential. Let's do it!" Andrew said. Buffy and Angel turned to glare at him. "Or I could just go wash up."  
  
"Please do." Connor said, walking upstairs to hide in his room.  
  
  
  
Buffy and Angel ran around to Room 25. "You sure this is it?" Angel asked.  
  
"The clerk said it's the only check-in they've had in a week. Tourism must be down." Buffy said.  
  
"Right in the middle of apocalypse season."  
  
Buffy knocked on the door. "Hello." She knocked again. "It's ok. We're friendly. And we have eyes."  
  
Angel was peering through the window. "Buffy, kick the door down."  
  
Buffy kicked the door in and entered, followed by Angel. They saw a girl lying on the floor, face down in a pool of blood. Buffy kneeled to touch her, and looked back up at Angel.  
  
"She's cold."  
  
"Been dead for days." Angel said, sniffing the air.  
  
Buffy rolled the girl over. "Eve."  
  
"Eve, who's in our house?"  
  
"Oh God." They took off running back to the convertible. Angel gunned it home. They burst through the door and looked around.  
  
"Buffy?" Willow asked.  
  
"What is it?" Dawn asked.  
  
Buffy looked at Andrew who was on her couch. She glared at him and he sat up and wiped off the part of the couch his feet were on. Buffy just rolled her eyes and her and Angel went into the next room. Xander, Connor, Willow, Dawn, and Andrew followed.  
  
"Buffy, basement." Angel said.  
  
They ran down the stairs. "Get away from them!" Buffy said.  
  
"Who? Get away from who?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"What's the problem officers?" Eve asked.  
  
"I said get away from them now." Buffy said through gritted teeth.  
  
"Buffy, what did Eve do?" Dawn asked.  
  
"That's not Eve." Angel said. "Eve's dead."  
  
"I don't-I don't understand." Rona said.  
  
Eve looked at everyone and then smiled cruelly. "Oops! One more down. Oh, well, can't save em all, can ya, Buffy? Thanks for the slumber party, girls. It's been real fun the last couple of nights. I learned a whole lot.."  
  
"Shut up and get out!" Buffy said.  
  
"Or you'll do what? I'll be sending a guest over to visit y'all later on tonight, after the sun goes down of course. Try and make him feel welcome before he rips y'all to pieces. Bye." Eve blinked out of existence.  
  
"I need to go wash up again." Andrew said, running upstairs.  
  
"Everybody upstairs." Angel said.  
  
"What?" Molly asked. "Why?"  
  
"Upstairs now!"  
  
The girls' eyes widened and they walked upstairs and into the dining room with Willow, Connor, Xander, and Dawn. Buffy and Angel stood there for a second, seething. After a minute they walked upstairs. The slayers-in- training were sitting around the dining room table. Buffy and Angel went to stand at the head of the table, and Willow sat at the end opposite them. Connor leaned against the wall next to Xander.  
  
"We should run." Vi said.  
  
"And go where, Vi?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"Annabelle ran. Look where it got her." Dawn said.  
  
"Safer in than out." Buffy said.  
  
"How can you say that? It was here, Buffy, in the house, living with us for days." Molly said.  
  
"And you didn't even know it." Chloe added.  
  
"Well, none of us knew it." Xander said.  
  
"It could still be here. It could be any one of us." Vi said.  
  
"No, the First can only take the form of dead people." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah, well there'll be plenty more of those soon enough. We're dropping like flies here." Rona said.  
  
"Hey!" Buffy said loudly. The girls stopped talking. "Look, I know you're all scared. You know what? I am too, but Giles and Anya will be back soon, and hopefully they will have the information that we need to stop the First. In the mean time, we need to stick together. Ok, we're stronger that way. We cannot afford to fall apart now."  
  
"She's right. Where would the Justice League have been if they hadn't put their differences aside to stop the Imperium and his shape-shifting alien horde?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Don't help us." Angel growled.  
  
"Guys, the sun goes down, and UberVamp's on its way. So a plan would be good right about now." Xander said.  
  
"Will, I'm sorry to ask, but.." Buffy said.  
  
"I know, we need a barrier." Willow said.  
  
"A major one. Something tells me this vampire doesn't need an invite to get into the house. Can you do it?"  
  
"I'll try."  
  
"Try?" Rona asked.  
  
"You heard her." Kennedy said.  
  
"Buff, are you sure about Willow doing the hocus pocus again? I-I mean, last time she.." Xander said.  
  
"Xander, we don't have a lot of choices." Angel said.  
  
"And what if that doesn't work? What if that monster gets through?" Chloe asked.  
  
"Then we'll deal."  
  
"Deal? Fight, you mean. How are we supposed to do that?" Rona asked.  
  
"And with what?" Vi asked.  
  
"With whatever it takes! Right?" Kennedy said.  
  
"Buffy, you fought the Turok-Han, and it almost killed you." Molly said.  
  
"And you're the real Slayer." Chloe said.  
  
"Wh-what chance do we have?" Rona asked.  
  
"Honestly, you staked that thing, and it didn't die." Molly said.  
  
"No, but that doesn't.." Connor said.  
  
"Maybe it can't be killed." Vi said.  
  
Buffy stared straight ahead. *Willow, can you hear me?* Buffy thought. Willow's head snapped up and she looked at her. *Yeah.*  
  
*We're losing them. We can't let that happen. I have an idea. Grab Xander.*  
  
"That mean we shouldn't try?" Dawn asked.  
  
"There's that word again." Rona asked.  
  
"Hey, it's a good word." Kennedy said.  
  
Buffy tapped Angel on the arm and motioned towards the kitchen. They moved into the kitchen. Willow got Xander's attention through mind power and that time Angel heard her. They walked into the kitchen and kept silent, talking through their minds.  
  
*I gotta slay the NeanderVamp to get Spike outta that cave, but I need those girls to see me do it.* Buffy thought.  
  
*I get it, but this isn't the best venue for a smackdown.* Willow thought.  
  
*I know just the place.* Xander thought.  
  
*Where?* Angel thought.  
  
*The science building construction sight. It has a place they can watch from a safe distance and it's big enough to allow Buffy to fight.*  
  
*She's not fighting that thing alone.*  
  
*No she's not. But you're not going in there with me. Faith is.* Buffy thought. *We're the Slayers, the thing that those girls in there could be become. They need to know they can do it too.*  
  
*Buffy..*  
  
*I know you Angel, if it goes bad you'll jump in and play white knight.*  
  
*Always will.*  
  
*All right, the sun's going down and the girls are panicking in there. Let's get them organized.*  
  
They walked back out into the dining room and then called Faith on her cell. She was on her way as fast as she could run. She made it just before the last rays of the sun disappeared behind the horizon. They let her know the plan through their minds and Faith loved it. Things were about to get good. 


	39. Showtime part 2

Chapter 39  
  
Outside, Bringers were encircling the house. Dawn peered out between the cracks of the boarded up window. Molly and Chloe were on the couch beside her, also looking out.  
  
"There's more of them now." Dawn said.  
  
"And two more out back." Connor said, coming in with Xander from the kitchen.  
  
"Why aren't they doing anything, attacking?" Molly asked, moving to stand next to Connor who seemed to be enjoying the attention.  
  
"They don't want in. They're here to make sure we don't get out. Rona." Buffy said, handing her a sword.  
  
Rona took it. "Like this'll do any good. I mean, what's the point?"  
  
"It's this end right here. Just stick that in the bad guys. Any more questions?" Kennedy asked. She went to the weapons chest and took out a crossbow. "This'll do me."  
  
"Are you sure you know how to use it?" Angel asked.  
  
"Since I was eight." Buffy nodded and handed her a quiver of arrows.  
  
"Can I have something?" Andrew asked. "Come on, the Turok-Han's coming for me too, you know. I have a right to defend myself.. If you say so."  
  
Buffy looked at Angel and smiled. He reached into the weapons chest and grabbed a glass bottle of holy water and handed it to Andrew. He took it and held it close to his chest like a treasure. Faith walked in carrying a wicked looking knife. She had a huge smile on her face. She loved the thrill of battle.  
  
"Guys? Something's happening." Dawn said.  
  
"Oh, my God!" Rona said.  
  
The thing was on its way. "Here it comes." Buffy said, looking at Angel. He took her hand tightly and waited. Everyone gathered in the living room and grouped around Willow. The Turok-Han was beating on the door, trying to enter the house.  
  
"Caerimonia Minerva, saepio, saepire, saepsi." Willow said.  
  
"Um, deflector shields-deflector shields up!" Andrew said.  
  
"Willow.." Angel said.  
  
The Turok-Han finally broke the door down, and Willow finished the spell as her eyes went black. "Saepio impedimentum!" A barrier went up, keeping the Turok-Han at bay.  
  
"It's working!" Chloe said.  
  
"For the moment." Vi said.  
  
"Will..?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It's-it's strong." Willow said, struggling.  
  
"It's hurting her." Kennedy said.  
  
"Hang on, Willow." Angel said.  
  
"I don't know." Willow gritted.  
  
"She can't hold it." Connor said.  
  
"What do we do? What do we do?" Rona asked, panicking.  
  
"Run. Everybody run." Buffy said.  
  
As the Turok-Han continued to try to penetrate the barrier, everyone ran out the back door of the house except for Buffy, Faith, and Willow who stayed to the very last possible moment.  
  
Angel led the gang outside, going after the Bringers with his battle-axe in hand. Kennedy used her crossbow to take out a few of the Bringers herself. Hand-to-hand combat ensued as Xander fought a Bringer, but the Bringer overpowered him and took the dagger her held away from him. Just as the Bringer was about to slice and dice Xander, Buffy stabbed the Bringer from behind.  
  
"Come on!" Buffy said.  
  
The slayers-in-training, Dawn, Andrew, Willow, Faith, Connor, Xander, Angel and Buffy ran up the street, away from Buffy's house. They stopped to talk.  
  
"Ok, no Bringers following. I guess they'll save us for old snaggletooth." Xander said.  
  
"Where is the Turok-Han?" Willow asked.  
  
"Right behind us. Time to split up." Buffy said.  
  
"Split up? We're splittin' up? Is that wise?" Molly asked.  
  
"Angel, take everyone and find a safe location."  
  
"I know a place." Xander said.  
  
"What are two you gonna do?" Dawn asked.  
  
Buffy looked at Faith and then back at Dawn. "Gonna try to slow the Turok down. Lead him away from you guys. Get him to chase us."  
  
"Buffy, you guys can't take that thing on yourselves."  
  
"I'll stay." Kennedy said.  
  
"No!" Buffy took the vile of Holy Water from Andrew.  
  
"H-hey, I need that!" Andrew whined.  
  
"Angel, Willow, take everyone to a safe location. Get 'em out of here. Now!"  
  
"Have to go, Dawn." Angel said.  
  
Dawn grudgingly went with Angel. Buffy and Faith faced the Turok-Han, who was now on the street facing them as in a standoff. Buffy took a running leap towards it, kicking it in the chest. It didn't even move, but Buffy fell to the ground. As the Turok-Han came closer to her, Buffy took the bottle of holy water out of her pocket and threw it at Faith. When the Turok-Han was within arms reach, Faith smashed the bottle in its face, causing it to roar and retreat. Faith helped Buffy to stand, but it grabbed her by the throat and shoved her into a car window, shattering it. The holy water burned the Turok-Han's face, but didn't appear to have slowed it down any. Faith kicked the thing in the stomach hard enough to drive it back so she could get to Buffy and run away. They were expecting the Turok-Han to give chase and it did for a moment before stopping. Buffy and Faith turned around to see if it was still behind them, but it was gone.  
  
Buffy looked at Faith. "Ready?"  
  
"You know it!" Faith said.  
  
The two Slayers took off towards the library. When they got there, the lights were off. Buffy and Faith jumped up onto a ledge and looked out. The Turok-Han walked menacingly toward the potentials. Kennedy loaded her crossbow and prepared to fight. The others walked up behind her. Suddenly, the floodlights came on and everyone turned to look. Buffy and Faith were standing there, arms crossed, on a ledge overlooking the open area.  
  
"Buffy? Faith?" Dawn asked.  
  
"What's she doing?" Molly asked.  
  
Connor smiled. Kennedy aimed her crossbow at the Turok-Han, but Willow waved her off. "Just watch. It's show time."  
  
Willow led the group away from the open area. They climbed the scaffolding and watched. Andrew looked on eagerly, hanging on the outside of the bars. Connor looked at his mother proudly as Angel stood and watched, waiting to jump in and take the UberVamp on.  
  
Faith looked at Buffy and then back down at the UberVamp. "Looks good, doesn't it? They're trapped in here. Terrified. Meat for the beast, and there's nothing they can do but wait." The two Slayers forward somersaulted down into the open area.  
  
"That's all they've been doing for days." Buffy said as she and Faith walked toward the Turok-Han, flanking it. "Waiting to be picked off. Having nightmares about monsters that can't be killed. But we don't believe in that. We always find a way. We're the things that monsters have nightmares about. And right now, you, me, and Faith are gonna show 'em why. It's time."  
  
"Welcome to Thunderdome." Faith said.  
  
The Turok-Han went for Buffy first. She was able to hold her own against it for a moment, but soon she was being beaten back. The onlookers grimaced as the Turok-Han dealt harsh blows to Buffy. Still, she managed to get in an offensive move here and there, punching and kicking it between its own moves. Faith jumped in and ripped the thing away from Buffy. The UberVamp and her went at it for a moment while Buffy gathered her strength and regrouped. She looked up and Angel who nodded at her, giving her strength through his soulful eyes.  
  
Buffy jumped back into the fighting. It punched Buffy to the ground, but she got back up to fight more. It threw her and Faith about 20 feet away, and they landed on the scaffolds, knocking the crossbow out of Kennedy's hands. Faith picked up the weapon and aimed it at the Turok-Han. She fired as it ran toward her, hitting it right in the heart. It only paused for a moment, then came at them again.  
  
Buffy grabbed a nearby pipe from the scaffolding and used it as a staff. She then used it to propel herself away from the fight, but the Turok-Han was right behind her. Faith grabbed a pickaxe and swung it at the Turok- Han, but it ducked and pushed her into the wall of the construction office trailer and then went after Buffy. It punched her in the stomach and Buffy fell to the ground. The Turok-Han disarmed her before throwing her back toward the center of the open area. It punched her again and again. She fell into a pile of cinder blocks, but picked one up to throw at the Turok- Han. It crushed it before she could throw it. It punched her again, and kicked her under some scaffolding before throwing her a dozen feet into the air, through the scaffold platform. Buffy managed to stay on the platform, and the Turok-Han scaled the scaffolding to get to her. He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground and choking her as she struggled against him.  
  
As Faith climbed to reach them, Buffy reached down, grabbed the arrow in the Turok-Han's chest, pulled it out, and jabbed its eye. It roared and dropped Buffy just as Faith got to her. While it was dealing with its injury, Buffy and Faith started punching it, and kicking it to the ground, where it landed in a pile of cinder blocks and boards. Weakly, it tried to punch on of them back, but they kept punching and kicking it until finally Buffy could bang its head into the metal scaffolding. Buffy grabbed some nearby barbed wire and slipped it around the Turok-Han's throat. It fell to the ground, and Buffy and Faith pulled on it together, hard enough to sever its head. The Turok-Han exploded in a cloud of dust in front of them.  
  
Faith looked up. "See? Dust. Just like the rest of 'em."  
  
"We don't know what's coming next, but we do know it's gonna be just like this." Buffy said. "Hard. Painful. But in the end it's gonna be us. If we all do our parts, believe it, we'll be the ones left standing. Here endeth the lesson."  
  
Buffy and Faith walked away as the slayers-in-training watch them. Kennedy smiled. The other girls looked at each other. They all followed Buffy and Faith out of the construction site. Angel caught up to the Slayers and pulled them both under his arms. They each wrapped an arm around his waist and walked back to the Summers' house. Once there, they got patched up as the S.I.T.s talked excitedly. Buffy told Faith where Spike would be. Faith nodded and went to save him. Buffy and Angel walked her to the old Christmas tree lot.  
  
Faith entered the cavern and found Spike shackled to a wall. He stared at her. "A knife, now, is it? What'll.. What'll that.. You-you can't hurt me. You're-you're just a bloody figment, you are. You're just.." Faith approached him slowly and cut him loose of his tethers. He collapsed forward and braced himself with his hand on her shoulder. When he touched her and realized she was real, he smiled and squinted, searching her face intently. She looked into his eyes, tapping an emotional connection between them. "You. Oh." He put his arm over her shoulder, and she put her arm around his waist. Although Spike was weak and limping, they walked out of the cave together. Buffy and Angel helped her get Spike to the van and then to the house. 


	40. Potential part 1

Chapter 40  
  
Buffy and Faith stood watching Vi and Rona. They were patrolling the graveyard waiting for Spike and Angel to attack. Suddenly Rona was punched in the head and she collapsed to the ground. Spike leapt out of the shadows in front of Vi who raised her stake to strike but Angel came out behind her and swatted the stake away. While Spike wrenched Vi's arm up behind her back, spun her around, baring her neck, Angel grabbed Rona and pulled her tightly to him, baring her neck as well. Their fangs descended toward the Potential's soft flesh and then.. They stopped. Spike and Angel's faces morphed back to normal.  
  
"Okay, these two are dead. Why?" Angel asked.  
  
"Cause the black chick always gets it first?" Rona asked as Angel let her go.  
  
"What was that, Rona?" Buffy asked. Molly and Kennedy watched from a short distance away. As usual, Molly was taking constant notes on a small pad.  
  
"I'm dead because they're vampires. I don't have Slayer strength, Slayer speed.. It wasn't a fair fight."  
  
"Fine." Spike said. He looked down at Vi. "Do you think we care if it's a fair fight?"  
  
"No, sir. You don't play by the rules and I have learned a valuable lesson.. Of some sort." Vi said. Spike twisted her arm a little harder and she yelped.  
  
"Okay, Spike." Faith said. He smiled and let Vi go.  
  
"You're right." Angel said. "You don't have Slayer strength but that doesn't mean that you're not strong. You have inherent abilities that others do not have."  
  
"Not like Buffy and Faith do." Molly said.  
  
"No. Not yet. But it's there." Faith said.  
  
"You have the potential. You have strength, speed, instinct.. You just have to learn to trust yourself." Buffy said. "Rona, what did your instincts tell you to do just then?"  
  
"Block his attack, keep him off balance, gain the advantage.." Rona said.  
  
"No they didn't." Faith, Buffy, and Angel said.  
  
"They told me to run."  
  
"Vi?" Angel asked.  
  
She nodded. "They told me to run. They're still sorta telling me to run." Vi added, glancing at Spike and Angel.  
  
"Don't fight on his terms. If your gut's telling you to run, run. Regain the higher ground. Make the fight your own. Angel, what did your instincts tell you to do just then?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Hunt. Kill." Angel responded darkly.  
  
Buffy nodded. She pulled out a stake and sauntered up to Angel. "Come at me. Full speed." She turned her back on him and faced the girls. "He needs to kill to live. That tells you everything you need to know." Angel's face went feral and he leapt at her from behind with a vicious snarl. She neatly sidestepped and he landed face-first on the edge of a gravestone. She jumped onto his chest, straddling him, and seized him by throat, her stake poised to strike. "Instinct. Understand his but trust yours. You were chosen for a reason." Angel groaned a little. Buffy looked down. "You ok?"  
  
"There are two reasons I'm groaning. Guess." Angel said quietly.  
  
Buffy moved closer to his face. "I can feel one of them, but what's the other?"  
  
"My head. Whacked it on the headstone."  
  
"Awe, poor baby." She leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "Any where else?"  
  
"My chest." Angel pouted a little and Buffy smiled. She pulled his shirt up and kissed his chest with a slight lick. He caught her head and pulled her up to his lips and smothered her in a passionate kiss.  
  
"That's hot." Rona said.  
  
"So we're supposed to like make out with them or something?" Molly asked.  
  
"Careful, Buffy. Just when you think it's part of the lesson, he'll hurt your arm." Vi said.  
  
Buffy and Angel looked over as if they had forgotten anyone was there. Buffy flushed and stood up, pulling Angel with her. "Molly, Kennedy, let's go. You're up. Next lesson."  
  
"I got this one mate." Spike said to Angel. "Take care of your girl." The bleached vampire nodded towards Buffy who was trying to hide her face behind her hair.  
  
Angel smiled and walked over to her. He pulled her to his chest and she leaned back, content with the right now. Faith hopped up onto a headstone and watched as Spike darted off to hide.  
  
  
  
The next day, Buffy paced the basement, an axe in hand, while the potential Slayers argued amongst themselves. Angel leaned against the stair railing, watching Buffy closely. Dawn watched from the stairs. Buffy finally had enough. She hurled the axe across the room and embedded it in the target that was set up. A perfect bulls eye. The girls looked up in stunned silence. Angel walked up behind Buffy and put his hand on the small of her back. She calmed down slightly, but her anger was still flaring. She looked at the girls.  
  
"You're all going to die. But you knew that already because that's the cool reward for being human. The big desert at the end of the meal. Don't kid yourselves, you guys. This whole thing is all about death. You think you're different because you might be the next Slayer? Death is what a Slayer breathes, what a Slayer dreams about when she sleeps. Death is what a Slayer lives. My death could make you the next Slayer." She looked around and noticed she had their undivided attention. She looked at Angel. "Oh, goody. Rapt attention. I love that so much." She crossed the room and pulled the axe out of the target. Angel took it and put it on a table. "Now where was I? Ah. If we go with what Anya's resources are telling us, then the First is in remission for a while, which we think means advantage us."  
  
"Well, what does that mean? About the First." Rona asked.  
  
"Best we can tell, he.. Or, more precisely it, was putting a lot of stock in that UberVamp thing." Angel said.  
  
"The Chaka Khan." Buffy said. "So when Faith and I kicked its ass, the whole First-y Circus decided to back off for a while. The good news: it means we probably don't have to worry about it pulling Spike's strings for a while. Here's the half-empty: time away means time to regroup and part of that regrouping is coming back stronger than ever. The odds are against us. Time is against us. And some of us will die in this battle. Decide now that it's not going to be you. I know you're all tired.. Far away from home.. Anxious. But you're all special. Most people in this world have no idea why they're here or what they want to do."  
  
"You do. You have a mission. A reason for being here. You're not here by chance. You're here because you are the Chosen Ones."  
  
Buffy and Angel turned to go upstairs. For the first time, they noticed that she was there. Buffy looked at her as she ran by. "Dawn, you better hurry up and eat something so you're not late for school." The Slayer continued up to her and Angel's bedroom.  
  
Angel stopped and knocked on Connor's door. "Connor?"  
  
"Yeah dad?" Connor called back.  
  
"You ready for school?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Ok, your mother's getting ready to leave."  
  
"Ok."  
  
Angel walked into his and Buffy's bedroom. Buffy stood in front of her vanity smoothing out her hair. When he walked up behind her, the only way she knew he was there was him wrapping his arms around her and leaning over her back to kiss her neck.  
  
"I'm never going to get used to that." Buffy said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Not being able to see you in the mirror."  
  
"I don't need to. I have you to tell me how great I look."  
  
"Great? Ha!" Angel was about to comment. "You're definitely the sexist thing I've ever seen next to Mel Gibson."  
  
"What's Mel got that I don't?"  
  
"Want a list?" She smiled and stood up, turning in his arms. "Don't worry sweetie. Mel's unavailable. He's got like seven kids and a wife."  
  
"And you've got one and a husband."  
  
"That I do."  
  
"And you've got the coolest kid in High School." Connor said, standing in the doorway.  
  
"You're just like your father." Buffy said. "I didn't even hear you come in."  
  
"I'm getting better at this stealth thing."  
  
"Why are you so spiffy today?" Angel asked. Connor was wearing khaki pants and a deep red sweater with a black stripe across the chest.  
  
"Career day."  
  
"Oh! That's right! You'll be spending today with me!" Buffy said happily.  
  
"You want to be a counselor?" Angel asked.  
  
"Kinda. I don't really know what else I'm good at except fighting and helping people. Like mom. So I figured, why not give it a shot?"  
  
"Makes a mom proud." Buffy said, standing next to her son. He overshadowed her because he was so tall and built like his father. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
Buffy talked into the phone while Connor surfed the internet. "Xander, I know.. I'm sorry. If you're going to take a shower at my house, lock the door. Of course they're curious." Amanda, one of Buffy's students, approached her cubicle and Buffy waved her in while she continued with Xander. "Ask Angel to guard the door. He's not gonna peek! Ew, gross Xander! Hey, I gotta go. Has Giles checked in yet? I thought he was picking up that Chao-ahn girl in Shanghai yesterday. Okay, well let me know if he does. Bye." She hung up. "Amanda, right? I'm all yours."  
  
"H-hey Connor." Amanda said.  
  
"Hey Amanda." Connor said, glancing at her from the computer.  
  
Amanda sat down and looked at Buffy. "Do people ever think you're weird?"  
  
Connor looked at Buffy and smirked. She elbowed him lightly and looked back at Amanda. "I guess.. Sure. In a charming, endearing, lovable.." Connor nudged her. "Yeah."  
  
"I feel like people think I'm weird and so they pick on me. But I might be. Weird."  
  
"Amanda, why do you think they you're weird?"  
  
"One of the boys who picks on me.. I kind of.. See, if a guy picks on you, is it weird to think he's cute?"  
  
"Oh.."  
  
Connor was trying not to laugh. Buffy kicked him under the desk to stop him as Amanda went on. "It's just the last few times I've seen him, I've wanted to, you know, pick on him. Extra. More."  
  
"Uh huh." She kicked Connor again.  
  
"The thing is, I can't tell. My mom says when a guy teases you, it means he likes you."  
  
"Sometimes that's true."  
  
"Is it weird? We're mean to each other and we like each other."  
  
"Well, it depends. I mean, sometimes that's how people relate. Being mean to each other.. Even mortal enemies. Then with the.. And that leads to no good, absolutely no good, and much confusion, and then it's over, or you think it's absolutely, seriously, definitely over, and that's confusing, too, the over part, which it is. Because it's a world of heartbreak and bad choices. And then he comes back after you find out about.." Amanda stared at her. "So maybe." Buffy offered a wan smile but Amanda just looked confused.  
  
"What mo.. Buffy's trying to say is that sometimes a guy means he likes you when he's picking on you and other times he just picking on you." Connor said.  
  
"Guys perspective?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Yup."  
  
"So I should just come right out and ask him?"  
  
"Uh huh."  
  
"Whatever. I'm gonna be late for class." Amanda got up and left.  
  
Buffy looked at Connor and rolled her eyes. "What!?" She rolled them again and started doodling on a notebook.  
  
  
  
When Buffy and Connor walked in the door, a full-scale argument was in effect in her living room. Xander, Andrew, Rona and Vi were yelling at the top of their lungs and Angel was no where to be found.  
  
"Why do we always have to yell?!" Andrew yelled.  
  
"I was only gone a couple of hours." Buffy said, angry.  
  
"Buffy.." Angel said, walking in.  
  
"Hey, everybody, look. It's Angel. Perhaps with a blunt weapon of some sort."  
  
"Honey, we just got news." He motioned towards the dining room and escorted her there. Connor, Xander, and Andrew followed.  
  
"What's the what?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Another potential." Willow said, sitting at the table next to Anya. "Althenea called to tell us that she's here."  
  
"And she's sure?"  
  
"Positive. Althenea said the seers located another potential Slayer here in Sunnydale, someone that already lives here."  
  
"Oh God.."  
  
"All these girls flocking to town and this one's already here and under our noses?" Anya asked.  
  
"Wait, the seers couldn't find out her name or her address or anything? Am I getting the definition of 'seer' wrong?" Xander asked.  
  
"Angel and I were going to take the girls out tonight for a little show-and- tell but maybe now we shouldn't." Buffy said.  
  
"They were so excited. You're going to break their little hearts." Andrew said.  
  
"This town is lousy with Bringers. Don't want to risk that they find this new girl first." Angel said.  
  
"No, you guys should go. I can do a spell to find her tonight. I just have to get together a few ingredients. But you shouldn't skip your training. It's too important." Willow said.  
  
"You think you can handle it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"No problemo." Xander said.  
  
"Yeah, you guys have more important things to do." Connor said.  
  
"Okay, we'll take them." Angel said.  
  
"Yes!" Andrew said.  
  
"Andrew, you're not going." Buffy said.  
  
"Buffy, can I see you upstairs for a minute?" Angel asked. She nodded and followed him up.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"Two things. One: I need a kiss from my wife. Two: Gunn called. We need to get up to LA soon. The Beast is getting famous with its killings."  
  
"One of the two I can solve right now." Buffy smiled and pulled lightly on Angel's sweater till he was close enough to reach up and kiss. "What will your wife think of me kissing you?"  
  
"I'm sure she'd beat the hell out of you. She's the jealous type."  
  
"Oh, then I'll have to watch out for her."  
  
Angel smiled and kissed Buffy again, more deeply this time. They moved into the bed and stayed there for a while, both falling asleep in each other's arms. When night fell, they woke up and headed downstairs. Andrew was arguing with Connor again about whether he could go tonight or not. Connor was refusing and telling him that Buffy and Angel weren't going to let him go either. When Andrew spotted Buffy and Angel on the stairs, he followed them, pleading with both of them. Buffy and Angel walked into the kitchen where the potentials were loading up on weapons.  
  
"Andrew, you're begging." Buffy said.  
  
"I'm not begging." Andrew said.  
  
"You're like a small dog dancing for Snausages." Angel said.  
  
"You guys don't want me coming along because you think I'm evil."  
  
"He doesn't seem evil exactly." Vi said.  
  
"He's not evil but when he gets close to it, he picks up its flavor, like a mushroom or something." Buffy said.  
  
"But I'm reformed! I'm like Vegeta on Dragonball Z. I used to be a pure Saiyan and now I fight on the side of Goku."  
  
"Still not coming." Angel said.  
  
"It's not fair! Spike just killed people and he gets to go."  
  
"Spike didn't have free will. You did."  
  
"I hate my free will." Andrew sighed just as Faith and Spike walked in.  
  
"So this is where you're all hiding." Spike said.  
  
"We ready to go or what?" Faith asked.  
  
"Let's go girls." Angel said.  
  
They all headed out. Buffy and Angel grabbed stakes before they walked out the door while the rest of the group was already loaded down, ready for action. 


	41. Potential part 2

Chapter 41  
  
Buffy and Angel were the last to enter Willy's Alibi Room. It was the local demon bar that the Buffy, Angel, Faith, and Spike always went to to pump info out of something. Buffy had first learned about it through Angel. The first time she had gone there, Angel had been with her. She'd been a little nervous because it was her third year of being the Slayer and she'd never been in a room this full of demons. Buffy could only imagine what the girls felt like.  
  
"This is bar." Rona said.  
  
"Best damn field trip I ever took." Kennedy said.  
  
"Look, they're all.." Molly started.  
  
Vi finished for her. "They're demons! It's a demon bar. It's like a gay bar only with demons."  
  
One particularly large demon with fleshy tendrils hanging from its face called out and stood up. "Spike! Long time. Nice of you to bring snacks."  
  
"Touch them and lose your privates." Spike growled. The demon backed off.  
  
"I didn't like him." Vi said.  
  
"Nice job of blending in, girls."  
  
"We're a bunch of 15-year-olds in a demon bar. How much blending did you think we were gonna do?" Rona asked.  
  
"Look, it's okay." Buffy said. "Usually you come to a place like this, you want to be seen. You want to scare someone or make contact."  
  
"Or have a strong drink?" Molly asked.  
  
"Not usually that."  
  
"You don't drink?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"Sure I do! I mean, no. That'd be wrong."  
  
"Do they card?" Vi asked.  
  
"Nope. Go ahead." Angel said with a smirk. "Down all the yak urine shots or pig's blood spritzers you like."  
  
They backed away from the bar. "Gross."  
  
"You got that right. Prices they charge, you could get human blood. Straight from the body." Spike said. The girls stared at him. "Vampire?"  
  
"Look, if we come here, it's because we gotta wring information out of something large, scary, drunk.. And with a roomful of friends that don't care very much for the Slayer or Angel. Remember that. There's not a being in here that wouldn't gladly rip your throat out." Buffy said.  
  
"Buffy?" Someone asked behind her. Buffy turned around to find Clem, her loose-skinned demon friend, standing behind her. She smiled and greeted him with a hug. "Girl, how you been?"  
  
"Clem! You look great. So toned."  
  
"Oh, my god. It is so good to see you. I saw this great show on the History Channel the other night that I knew you would love and then something went all flooey with my TiVo."  
  
"You know what? Can I talk to you for a second over here?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Buffy and Angel walked with Clem a little ways and started talking to him in a whisper so the girls wouldn't see. When they turned back around, all three had a smile on their faces.  
  
"Okay, everyone." Angel said. He looked at Clem. "These are the girls."  
  
"Howdy. So you girls are going to deal with demons, huh? Just let me tell you this.." Clem leaned forward like he was going to whisper a secret to them and they all leaned toward him to hear it. Suddenly his entire face peeled back and a nest of snakelike tentacles shot out at the horrified teenagers.  
  
"I could use a shot of that yak urine right about now." Vi said.  
  
"No, we're leaving. There's one more spot we're taking you guys to." Angel said.  
  
  
  
"A crypt!" Vi said. "You brought us to a crypt?"  
  
Angel opened the door and they all walked in. "The vampire is an animal. Sometimes they run in packs. Sometimes alone. Who can tell us where we are?"  
  
"It's a nest." Rona said.  
  
"How can you tell?" Faith asked.  
  
"Only a vamp could live like this." Kennedy said. "No offense Angel."  
  
He nodded. "Some, yeah. I mean, as a group we're not known for our tasteful décor."  
  
"But in all fairness to the race, this place is seriously lacking in style." Spike added.  
  
"Thank you, Spike." Faith said.  
  
"Merely saying."  
  
"Angel and Spike have a point. Vampires can live anywhere, any way they want. Tastes, fashions, living conditions: they can vary. The animal inside? Always the same. No offense guys." They nodded.  
  
"Where'd you live?" Molly asked Spike.  
  
"What, you mean before? A crypt, actually, but nicer. A bit more.. I don't know if posh is the right word but it was more like.." Spike said.  
  
"Comfy." Buffy said.  
  
"Excuse me? When did you find it comfy? I thought he's with Faith." Kennedy said.  
  
Buffy fidgeted nervously. Angel saved her. "Moving on. You want to stay alive? You have to spot and identify a nest on sight. Look around, all of you. Look for signs that just last night maybe a dozen, two dozen vampires were right where we're standing." The girls stood there. "Go ahead." Buffy said. The girls spread out and started checking the place out.  
  
"Work, work, work.. And just when this little excursion was in danger of being interesting." Spike said to Buffy.  
  
Faith glared at him. "You know something, Spike interesting is not a problem."  
  
"Buffy? Angel? I think we found something." Rona said.  
  
"It's a body." Molly added.  
  
Angel walked over and examined the man lying facedown on the floor. "It's not a body. It's leftovers." The newly turned vampire turned over and glared up at them.  
  
"Allow me." Faith said.  
  
Angel stepped away and Faith hauled the vamp to its feet, throwing it against the wall. The vampire stalked slowly toward her. Faith held her stake at the ready while Buffy and Angel continued to teach the girls.  
  
"No one's safe. Not here. Not ever. See this guy?" Buffy said.  
  
"But he was dead a minute ago." Kennedy said.  
  
"That was a minute ago. Now?" Angel said as Faith decked the vamp. "He's the enemy."  
  
The vampire charged Faith and tackled her to the ground. Buffy threw the vampire across the room and off of Faith. It instantly rolled back to its feet with a snarl.  
  
"You can't think too much. Reacting is better. Could be the difference between staying alive.. And that other thing." Faith said as Buffy took over the fight.  
  
Buffy brought her stake down for the killing blow but the vampire knocked it from her grasp. Ducking its follow-up punch, she engaged the vampire again, punching and kicking it with tremendous force. Kennedy moved to help her but Angel held her back. Buffy pounded the vampire to the floor and held it there by the leg while she delivered blows to its head.  
  
"The question is never 'What do you think?' It's always 'What do you know?' You gotta know, because if you don't, if you make one mistake.." Buffy said. She delivered a punishing uppercut to the vampire's jaw and sent it flipping backward over a low cement bench. It got to its feet and came at her again.  
  
"It takes just one vampire to kill you so you've got to know you can take him. Know your environment, know what's around you and know how to use it." Angel said. "In the hands of a warrior like me or a Slayer like Buffy and Faith, everything is a potential weapon.. If you know how to see it. When you're fighting, you have to know yourself: your brain, your body. Know how to stay calm, centered. Every move is important. Every blow has got to be part of your plan."  
  
"Because if you make that one mistake, then it's over. You're not the Slayer.. You're not a potential.." Buffy said. She picked up her stake as the vampire charged her again. She blocked its blows with superhuman speed. ".You're dead. So what do you know?" She hurled the vampire backward across the room. "Right now, the only thing you know for sure? You got us." She dropped the stake, backed out of the crypt with Angel, Faith, and Spike, and slammed the door, locking the terrified potential Slayers inside with the vampire.  
  
Just as they locked the doors, Xander and Connor ran up to them. "Mom, Dawn's gone."  
  
"What?" Angel asked.  
  
"She's a potential cause Willow did a spell and it her and made her glow like it was supposed to." Xander said.  
  
"We went upstairs to see if she was going to be ok and she was gone." Connor said.  
  
"Dawn's a potential?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Go Dawn." Faith said.  
  
"No! Not 'go Dawn.' She is not a potential. She-she can't be. She's my sister."  
  
"Don't matter B. She's been chosen by some higher power."  
  
"Well, I'm un-choosing her."  
  
"We think she's at the school. Connor and I did a sweep of Sunnydale and heard noises there." Xander said.  
  
"We'll go." Buffy said, motioning towards Angel and herself. "Spike and Faith stay here and make sure they're ok." They nodded and Buffy, Angel, Connor, and Xander left.  
  
They burst into the High School and spread out. Xander found Dawn. "Buffy, Angel, up here!"  
  
Angel and Buffy rounded the corner and followed him. They made it to the top just as the Bringers attacked followed by a vampire. Amanda used a pole deftly, striking one blow after another, knocking them off their feet and sending them tumbling directly into the path of Buffy and Angel. Buffy stabbed one Bringer to death with its own knife then tossed it to Angel. "Here!" Angel dispatched the second, then attacked another. At the top of the stairs, the vampire attacked Amanda. Much to her own surprise, she managed to hold her own, blocking the creature's blows with the pole. It threw a roundhouse blow at her head and she ducked, kicked the vampire against the wall, and slammed the pole into its chest. It instantly disappeared in a cloud of dust. Stunned, Amanda turned to Buffy just as she and Connor snapped the last Bringers' necks and dropped their lifeless bodies to the floor.  
  
"Okay.. One minute I'm in Swing Choir and the next.. What the hell is going on?" Amanda asked, freaking out. "You tell me to come to you with problems. Turns out a vampire attacked me! Problem. So I go to your house, only when I get there, this orange cloud hits me. And I don't know if you're into the drugs but that's not my deal, all right? That cloud hit me and I got a little dizzy and discombobulated."  
  
"It was Willow's spell. She's the potential Slayer." Dawn said.  
  
Buffy and Angel stared at Amanda, realizing that it wasn't Dawn that was the potential. Buffy walked over to her sister and hugged her tightly. She was near tears. Being a Slayer is something that she would never want her sister to go through. Angel came up with Connor and they hugged Dawn too.  
  
  
  
The next day, Amanda joined the group of potentials. They were in the living room talking excitedly. Buffy, Angel, Connor, and Xander were getting ready to load up and head to LA. They wanted to have one last training session with the girls before they left though. Buffy and Angel stopped in front of Dawn.  
  
"Hey, you ok?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah. I was thinking of hitting the books, do some research on the First. It's in retreat mode right now but you're still going to need to know how to fight it. Maybe find something on the Beast while I'm at it." Dawn said.  
  
"Great. Sounds good." Angel looked at the girls in the living room. "Hey, you guys. Want to head downstairs, get our newest arrival up to speed?"  
  
The girls all stood and followed Angel and Buffy out. They walked downstairs and allowed everyone to get situated. Spike and Faith sat in a corner talking quietly. When the room was hushed, Buffy looked around. Connor sat next to Molly on the floor. He was smiling. If Buffy didn't know any better, she'd say he was smitten and so was Molly.  
  
"Ok, here's the sitch guys." Buffy said. "Gunn called from LA. Things have gotten really bad up there in the past couple of days. Angel, Connor, Xander, and I are going back up there. Faith and Spike are going to take care of you while we're gone. If something should happen while we're up there, they'll be the first ones to know about it, so keep tabs with them."  
  
"I don't think anything too serious is going to happen to us, but if it does Buffy and I want you to know that we are completely proud of you all." Angel said. "You've proven that you can make it. You learned the answer to being the best of the best."  
  
"Friends. Teamwork. Without a team, without friends, you're just another Slayer waiting to be picked off. Without my friends, I wouldn't be standing here today. You've got friends here that know who you are and they know the risks. Stay close. Become a family because your family is your strength."  
  
"It's your soul. It's what makes you a champion." Faith said, standing and walking up next to Buffy. "Take notes kiddos. Buffy here is the best there is. She won't stop trying and I'm living proof."  
  
The room was silent for a long moment and then Kennedy got up and hugged Buffy. "We're going to miss you. Don't let anything happen in LA, ok?"  
  
Buffy nodded. It was time for them to leave. Hugs and best wishes were given as the Slayer, Angel, Xander, and Connor loaded the van and left for Los Angeles. They didn't know that an old adversary was coming back to haunt them. Buffy didn't know that something awful was going to creep its way back into her happy life. 


	42. Long Day's Journey part 1

Chapter 42  
  
"Still drawing?" Buffy asked, walking into the apartment she and Angel shared at the Hyperion.  
  
"Yeah." Angel replied.  
  
"Everything ok? You seem a little agitated."  
  
"It's fine."  
  
"No, you act like something's bothering you. What's up?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Angel, I know you better than you know yourself. Something's up. If you don't spill, then I'm going to chain you up and force you to."  
  
"It's Connor."  
  
"What about him?"  
  
"I can't help thinking that Gunn's right. Maybe Connor is connected to the Beast."  
  
"No, I don't think he could be. He's not evil. Our son is not evil. But that's not all that's on your mind. Spill buster."  
  
"That was it. Nothing else." Buffy rolled her eyes and took the drawing pad away from Angel. "Hey! I wasn't finished with that."  
  
"Does it look like I care?" She tossed the pad on the bed and straddled Angel in the chair. "What's up?"  
  
"Me."  
  
"I can see that." Angel stared at her for a moment. "Oh, I know."  
  
"Know what?"  
  
"You're a little pissed about Xander and Cordy."  
  
"Why would I be pissed about that? I'm happy for them."  
  
"You're afraid that Xander will hurt Cordy again. Well, he's not. I doubt they're that serious again anyway."  
  
"They walked in the other day holding hands and making googly eyes at each other."  
  
"So? I know Xander. He's not ready to jump back into that relationship yet. He's still not completely over Anya."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"Fine, we don't have to talk about that now. But about Connor, he's not connected to this. I just know. If he is, I'd feel it. Or maybe dream about it. Cordy's not the only one with visions."  
  
"I know, but id Connor is connected.. What're we going to do?"  
  
"We'll deal."  
  
"So, you guys do think I'm connected." Connor said from the doorway.  
  
"Connor, no." Buffy said, getting up. She went to push his hair out of his eyes, but he shoved her hand away. "Sweetie, we don't think that. We're just taking precautionary. That's all."  
  
"No, you guys still don't trust me. Especially you." Connor directed the last comment to Angel.  
  
"Connor, now that's not fair. He's your father and he loves you. We both love you."  
  
"Then why are you blaming this on me?"  
  
"We're not. Honey, we're going to figure this out and when we do, it's not going to have anything to do with you."  
  
"You know what? I'm just in your way. I'm going to stay with Cordelia and Xander."  
  
"Connor wait!"  
  
It was too late, he had already ran down the hallway and down the steps. Buffy was about to go after him, but Angel stopped her. "He'll be back. Just give him some time. He's like his mom."  
  
"I am not that pig headed." Buffy said, turning and staring at Angel.  
  
"You can be." Buffy gawked. "What? You can. Come on. Come back in here and spend some time with me. We have had much of a moment's rest since.. Well, I can't exactly remember."  
  
Buffy took Angel's outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her to a chair where she curled up in his lap. "I wish we could go on like this forever."  
  
"Busy and bogged down with evil forces?"  
  
"No! God no. I meant like this. Curled up together and peaceful. But the longer I stay comfortable, the more likely it is I'll fall asleep. Then the dreams will come and I can't wake up from them. They keep getting longer and worse. More clear. And there's one where I'm standing on a battlefield looking around at all this.. Destruction. There's death everywhere. I can smell the blood in the air. When I look down from the hill I'm on, I can see the Beast talking to someone with long brown hair and he seems familiar, but I can't see his face."  
  
Angel was about to say something, but Lorne walked in. "Room service. Hey. Got you some nice O positive here. Freshly nuked for that 'right out of the jugular' taste. And for Blondie here I have some freshly poured OJ."  
  
"Just put it on the table." Angel said.  
  
Lorne did and saw the drawing pad lying on the bed. "Hmm.. good likeness. You guys wouldn't mind if I ran screaming from the room, would you?"  
  
"Shut the door on your way out."  
  
"Oh, all right. You want to play it this way, we'll play it this way."  
  
"Play what?"  
  
"Angel, sweetie, why so down? You're both 'Don't interrupt us, we're brooding."  
  
"We're not brooding. We're researching."  
  
"The apocalyptic beast who's turned our city into his personal abattoir? Yeah, so is everybody else, Wesley included, downstairs. Together."  
  
"We work better alone."  
  
"Oh, that's it. I see. It's all about you two. Silly old Lorne, thinking it was about saving the world from ending. Welcome to the big leagues, Angel. You're champions. You don't get personal days."  
  
"There's nothing on this Beast, Lorne. Buffy and I fought it once and it nearly decapitated me with my own stake and almost killed Buffy. It's killed hundreds of people that we couldn't save and it keeps showing up around our kid. Our kid who's.."  
  
"Starting to turn into a teenager and runs out when he doesn't feel like dealing?"  
  
"He doesn't do that." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, so that was my imagination playing tricks on me. I didn't really see Connor running out of the hotel."  
  
"Ok, so maybe he did. Just this once. But not all the time."  
  
"And that wasn't Connor who ran off to Wolfram and Hart and nearly got you killed by a pack of rabid zombies?"  
  
"Ok, he's done it more than once. He's a good kid. He's got issues. We all do."  
  
"Oh, I understand. He's gotta deal guys. If he is connected to this, he's going.."  
  
"To what Lorne? We know the drill ok? Just let him and us alone for right now."  
  
"Didn't mean to piss you off cupcakes. I'll just go downstairs and help." Lorne backed out the door and shut it gently.  
  
"Is it just me, or are we all on edge?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It's not just you." Angel said. "We're all stressed. Two potential apocalypses on our shoulders isn't a stress reducer."  
  
"And our happy little home has just turned into Potential Slayer HQ. Maybe we should buy a hotel in Sunnydale."  
  
Angel snorted and started drawing again as Buffy paced. When a knock sounded at the door an hour later, Buffy was sitting on the bed staring at the ceiling.  
  
"What is it?" Angel called.  
  
"It's me. I know I don't have to be invited in but it is polite." Cordy said from outside the door.  
  
"Come in." Buffy said.  
  
Cordy came in and shut the door. No one spoke for what seemed like an hour. Finally, Cordy broke the ice. "Aren't you going to ask how Connor's doing?"  
  
"How's Connor doing?"  
  
"He's scared to death. Scared that you two think he's connected to the Beast."  
  
"Well, you know, it does tend to show up whenever he's around." Angel said.  
  
"I swear. Like father, like son. The two of you have cornered the market on teenage snits."  
  
"What exactly do you want Cordelia?"  
  
"I had a vision this morning of the Beast."  
  
"Ok, tell me about the vision."  
  
"It was.. different from any other. I felt like I was inside someone else listening to the demon talk but I couldn't tell if it was in the past or in the future or even where we were exactly."  
  
"Who was it you were inside?"  
  
"I couldn't tell. But I did feel like there was more I wasn't getting, like I was just scratching at the surface of something. Maybe it'll come to me."  
  
"So what did the demon say?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Don't know. All I got was the visual."  
  
"Not much to go on, Cordy."  
  
"But it's something! And a vision means the phone lines between us and the Powers That Be are still open. Maybe they'll send us a clue."  
  
"As if there's somebody up there watching." Angel said.  
  
"I was. But I'm back now so you guys are going to have to suck it up and deal because things are going to hell and.. and you're the leaders. So lead."  
  
Buffy and Angel stared at Cordy for a moment and then walked out of the apartment. When everyone saw them coming, they sort of gathered around in front of the steps. Cordy joined them on the floor and looked at Buffy and Angel as the gang filled them in on what was going on.  
  
"The Powers are sending us a wake-up call, people. Sure, we've been.. I don't want to say 'demolished'.. beaten. And sure it's slightly demoralizing but from here on out, we're on the offensive." Angel said.  
  
"We're going to find out this thing's weaknesses, we're going to go in prepared and we're going to fight smart. It's time to take down the Beast." Buffy said.  
  
"Um.. we're all behind you, guys, 100%. But how can we be prepared when there's nothing on this thing?" Fred asked.  
  
"And weaknesses? It's not a sure bet El Destructo has any." Lorne said.  
  
"Everyone has an Achilles heel." Angel said, looking at Buffy.  
  
"Yeah, well until we find his, we're gonna be cooling ours cause we got nothing without a new lead." Gunn said.  
  
Angel wasn't listening. He was staring at the new face in the crowd standing at the door. Gwen stood framed in the doorway, wearing a short black half-shirt and red leather pants. Cordelia eyed her skeptically.  
  
"Gwen?" Angel asked.  
  
"Hi, there. Long time no hand-to-hand." Gwen said. She looked at Gunn. "I remember you."  
  
Fred stood protectively in front of him. "The guy you killed? Yeah, that's him."  
  
"Kicked you in the face, too, didn't I, cherry? Sorry about that. I really do try to avoid contact. Mostly." Gwen said, staring at Angel for the last word.  
  
"Cordelia, this is.." Angel started, but Cordy cut him off.  
  
"I know who she is. Caught your little show on the omniscient higher-plane channel, thanks." Cordy said, standing next to Buffy and offering her comfort. Buffy gave her a small smile and then moved closer to Angel, taking his hand. He squeezed it lightly and looked down at her with a smile.  
  
"I remember you too. Guess you guys made up. You must be so happy." Gwen said.  
  
"We are. Not having the best week, to be honest." Angel said.  
  
"Tell me about it. I mean, really. Tell me. Freak to freak. Is the world about to end or what?"  
  
"Something happen to you?"  
  
"Met with a client last night, in the oil fields, which is odd because I've bagged for this guy six years, big money, and he never wanted to meet before."  
  
"Fascinating as these details must seem to you, we're dealing with much more important stuff right now. Apocalypses. End of the world." Buffy said, glaring.  
  
"Also, while we were talking, he got his chest punched out by a big demon with a head made of rock. Demon, okay? The whole nine: cloven feet and horns and teeth and.. he wasn't wearing lamé, though." Gwen said, looking at Lorne.  
  
Lorne puffed up. "Yeah, the evil ones can't pull it off. It gets camp."  
  
"This client of yours, was anything removed from the body?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Didn't see." Gwen looked at Angel. "But you are hands down the weirdest person I know, so I figured I'd ask you what's going on."  
  
Fred picked up a book and walked over to Gwen. "Excuse me, not that I don't still bear a grudge against you, because I do, but your client didn't happen to be a skinless saber-toothed tiger or composed entirely of light, maybe?"  
  
"The light.. it came out of his chest. How did you know?"  
  
"You wanted a pattern. That makes three." Gunn said to Wes.  
  
"He's killing the Ra-tet." Fred said.  
  
"What's a Ra-tet?" Gwen asked.  
  
"A mystical order. Each totem representing a stage in Ra's journey across the sky." Wesley said. "Here's your client. Two others, these, are dead."  
  
"That means there's two totems left: Manjet and Semkhet." Buffy said.  
  
"The last sighting of Manjet was rumored two years ago in Belize and Semkhet is said to live in a cave in Death Valley." Fred said.  
  
"Then that's easy. All we have to do is find Semkhet and protect him." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah, well won't that be hoot." Lorne said, looking at a picture in a book. "Looks like Semkhet is puddy-tat to the world's scariest six-year- old."  
  
"It could be dangerous." Cordy said.  
  
"I'll take Gwen." Angel said. Buffy cleared her throat and glared at him. "And Buffy of course."  
  
"Gee, I feel all warm inside." Gwen said.  
  
"Well, shouldn't we all go? It might.." Cordy said.  
  
"We can handle it. Superpowers. Buffy and I'll catch Gwen up on the drive." Angel said.  
  
"But it's a four-hour trip. Both ways."  
  
"I'm sure we'll find something to talk about." Angel hurried out with Gwen on one side and Buffy firmly attached to his hand possessively on the other.  
  
The drive was long, but Gwen was filled with information about the Sunnydale status along with the Los Angeles status. Gwen had been forced to sit in back by Buffy who didn't even sit in the passenger's seat. She was still firmly attached to Angel's hand. Buffy was going to let Gwen know just who Angel belonged to.  
  
Angel, Buffy, and Gwen climbed down a steep cliff face toward the entrance of Semkhet's cave. Angel's foot slipped and Gwen shushed him.  
  
"Jeez! Where were you two when they taught stealth in superpower school?" Gwen asked.  
  
"The janitor's closet." Buffy replied. She started to climb down after Angel and lost her balance, tumbling off the side. Angel caught her in his arms and smiled ironically at her.  
  
"Obviously." Gwen said.  
  
"I did that on purpose." Buffy said sheepishly.  
  
"That's pretty pathetic." Angel said.  
  
"Bite me." Angel pointed to her scar and held up two fingers. Buffy nodded. "Point well taken."  
  
Candles lined the walls as Angel, Buffy, and Gwen entered a huge cavern. Buffy drew her sword.  
  
"I thought we were here to protect this thing?" Gwen asked.  
  
"We are.. unless it's evil. So if it is, we prevent the Beast from killing it by killing it ourselves." Buffy said. They rounded a corner and found Semkhet, a human-like cat, lying on the cave floor, eviscerated. "Or not."  
  
"So much for protecting it, huh?"  
  
"Looks like it was ripped apart. Charring around the edges.. this was definitely our guy. The Beast is systematically executing these totems. I just don't know why." Angel said.  
  
"I do." A voice said behind them. Buffy, Angel, and Gwen turned to find a short dumpy man in a loud Hawaiian shirt and a straw hat peering around the corner. "He's going to turn out the sun."  
  
"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Standing in the remains of my fallen brethren, trying not to have an anxiety attack. Who are you three?"  
  
"I'm Angel, that's Buffy and Gwen. You got a name?" Angel asked.  
  
"I am Manjet, Sacred Guardian of the Shen, Keeper of the Orb of Ma'at and Devotee of Light. Off hours I like Manny."  
  
"You're Manjet?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Right."  
  
"The last totem of the Ra-tet?" Angel asked.  
  
"Right."  
  
"I thought you were in Belize." Gwen said.  
  
"Was till I heard Mesektet got whacked. Never liked that chick. Evil right down to her Mary Janes but.. family. What are you gonna do?"  
  
"What did you mean before? 'The Beast is going to turn out the sun.' Is that some kind of metaphor?" Angel asked.  
  
"Sorry. I don't speak 'college boy.' I said what I meant. This Beast you're talking about? He's looking for a way to put an end to daylight. He wants to blot out the sun permanently."  
  
"You're saying once the totems are dead, the sun disappears?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not disappears, exactly. And it's not just killing us, either. There's props and a ritual and a chant and a thing and a.. suffice to say, it ain't easy. And folks in the Ra-tet, they got some serious juice which is why I never felt worried before."  
  
"But you're worried now."  
  
"Well, four out of five down.. let's just say I'm not looking forward to my retirement in Boca."  
  
"So the lights go out. Then what?" Gwen asked.  
  
"The city sinks into never-ending darkness, that's what. Vamps, creepies, crawlies, things that go bump in the night are suddenly bumping 24/7. The whole of Los Angeles turns into a.."  
  
"Demon playground." Buffy and Angel said together.  
  
"Bingo. And that's before it starts to spread. California.. North America.. eventually, hello global blackout. The world is the devil's oyster."  
  
"Well, we gotta stop him." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah, you sure do and good luck with that." Manny started to walk out of the cave.  
  
"Whoa, whoa.. where do you think you're going?" Buffy asked, raising her sword.  
  
"Look, it's probably just a few hours till this guy catches up with me. I want to spend my last moments with my oldest, dearest friends down at the Pink Pony Lounge." Manny looked at Buffy, then Gwen, and back at Angel. "I'll buy you a lap dance if I can watch."  
  
"Forget that. We can take you somewhere safe, Manny. We can protect you." Angel said.  
  
"Right. Superhunk, Wonder Woman, and Spandexia. This thing takes out Mesektet and you three are going to protect me?"  
  
"I don't see anybody else lined up for the job." Buffy said.  
  
Manny hesitated, then leaned over to Angel, conspiratorially. "You think she'd give me a lap dance?"  
  
Angel looked at Manny. "That's my wife."  
  
"Oh! Sorry. What about her?" Manny flicked his thumb at Gwen.  
  
"If you want a pretty good electrical shock, go right on ahead." Buffy said, walking out. 


	43. Long Day's Journey part 2

Chapter 43  
  
"Any movement from the Beast while we were gone?" Angel asked as he, Buffy, Gwen, and Manny walked in.  
  
"Not a peep. Just wasting time trying to find ways to kill it.. Which, by the way, there aren't any." Gunn said.  
  
"That doesn't look like Semkhet." Fred said.  
  
"Semkhet's not available, sweetheart." Manny said. "Slight case of being ripped open to death in a cave. Don't suppose I could interest you in a short, stocky orb-keeper?"  
  
"Guys, I'd like you to meet Manny, the last totem of the Ra-tet." Buffy said.  
  
"This.. is a being of supreme power?" Wesley asked.  
  
"You ought to see me in my Armani." Manny said.  
  
"What happened to the second-to-last one?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Somebody already ripped out the toy surprise." Gwen said.  
  
"Good news is, we've discovered the Beast's plan." Buffy said with a shrug.  
  
"Which is?" Gunn asked.  
  
"To blot out the sun for all of eternity." Manny said. "You guys got a john?"  
  
"Right back there." Angel said.  
  
"Thanks, pal." Manny took off towards the bathroom.  
  
"Why did the smelly yucky man say that? He's joking, right?" Cordy said.  
  
"No, apparently there's a ritual using members of the Ra-tet to change day into night.. Forever." Angel said.  
  
"As far as evil plans go, it doesn't suck." Wesley said.  
  
"He's killed four of the five so far. I figure we keep Manny safe, the lights stay on long enough, and we find a way to defeat this thing."  
  
"But where are we going to hide him? We need a small controlled space." Fred said.  
  
"Secure the perimeter? Guards on duty at all times?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Kitchen's got a meat locker." Gunn said.  
  
"Brilliant. Let's store the one thing that will stave off perpetual darkness in the home of the only people we're sure the demon knows." Wesley said.  
  
"You know what? You got a better idea, Einstein?"  
  
"Give me time."  
  
"I know a place." Gwen said.  
  
Buffy looked at her incredulously. Cordy spoke up with her sarcasm though. "Great. As long as it's not some non-descript tenement downtown, with discarded boxes in the stairwells and peeling plaster and.."  
  
"It's not."  
  
Buffy glared at Gwen from around Angel's chest. She was still holding onto Angel only this time she was wrapped around his waist. Partly because of Gwen and the other part was Manny freaked her out with his wondering eyes.  
  
"Let's go." Angel said. "Cordy, Wesley, Lorne, and Fred stay here. Buffy, Gunn, Gwen, and I will take Manny to Gwen's safe haven."  
  
  
  
Buffy, Angel, Gwen, Gunn, and Manny walked up some stairs in a broken down old building. Buffy was still holding to Angel's hand. She looked up at him and whispered, "Do you smell the faint odor of dead people?"  
  
Angel rolled his eyes and squeezed her hand. "You ok? You've been kinda clingy since Gwen walked into the hotel."  
  
"Yeah, well.. Can you blame me?"  
  
"Not really. You have every right. That's why I haven't said anything until now. Do you not want to be here?"  
  
"Oh, I do. You think I'm leaving you here with slut-oh-rama up there?"  
  
"Rather here than back at the hotel plowing through them annoying books with the symbolic manifestos and the 'Brilliant!'" Gunn said.  
  
"Never trust the books or the bookies, kid. Real juju takes place on the q- t. That's why you can't find this Beast. He's too powerful. I mean, taking out the Ra-tet.." Manny said.  
  
"Yeah, speaking of, ain't you Tet folks supposed to be all mighty and colossal?"  
  
"The midday totem is man, the neutral totem, the potential of every human soul."  
  
"So, you're just a guy then?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, there's more to me than meets the eye. For example, I'm immortal. Unless I'm ritually murdered, of course."  
  
"Oh, well it's too bad we came here, then." Buffy said. Gwen stopped before an iron door in a particularly seedy hallway and placed her bare hand on the lock. With a flash of blue electricity, the lock released and the door started to swing open. "Cause if you're going to be ritually murdered it's probably going to be in a hellhole like.." Gwen stepped inside and flipped on the lights to reveal a lavish and spacious apartment. "This." Buffy finished.  
  
"Come on in." Gwen said. "My butler's already in Tahiti so we're on our own here. I'll hit the kitchen for supplies later if I can.. Well.. Find the kitchen." She shut the door and disappeared down a long hallway. After a minute, she came back. "Let's get you set up in the study." They followed her into a spacious library with walls lined with bookshelves. She crossed over to one of them and pulled a book out. It triggered a hidden panel, which slid back revealing a steel vault door. "Can never pass up a good cliché." She used her power to activate the lock and the door slid back into the wall revealing a small closet-like room. "It's equipped as a panic room, too. Twelve inches of solid steel, it's own ventilation system.."  
  
"Homey." Buffy said.  
  
"You should be safe here."  
  
"Don't worry. I ain't expecting any miracles." Manny said.  
  
"So guard duty, what do you think? You and me, first shift?" Gwen asked Angel.  
  
"Uh, no." Buffy said. "I think you get Gunn and I get MY husband."  
  
"Makes sense to me." Gunn said, sensing the jealousy in Buffy's voice.  
  
"Okay, then. I'll take Denzel." Gwen said.  
  
"Actually, it's Gunn. Not that I mind the freakishly accurate comparison but you will keep your hands to yourself."  
  
"Four hours on, four hours off. Bunk down off duty. Get as much sleep as we can. We're already tired. Got a long few days ahead of us." Angel said. He took Buffy's hand and led her down the hall to the bedroom. Buffy wondered how Angel knew where it was, but forgot about it when she remembered the hall Gwen had gone done. They found an open doorway directly down the hall. Angel led her in and closed the door. She went over to the big bed and sat down.  
  
"Wow." She said nonchalantly.  
  
"Yeah." Angel came over and sat beside her. "Buffy, I just want you to know that I'm not going to leave you. Not for Gwen, not for anyone. I love you and only you."  
  
"I know. But she's throwing herself at you! If she throws one more time, I'm going to be inspired to throw a punch and a kick her way."  
  
Angel cupped her cheek. "Shh, don't worry. I've been reBUFFing her attempts."  
  
"Ha ha. Very funny." Buffy smiled.  
  
"Knew I could get you to smile." He leaned in and planted a tender kiss on her lips. She responded and moved into him, kissing him deeply. Angel pulled her back on the bed and she rolled off enough to curl up at his side. Half on Angel, one leg between his two, Buffy fell asleep. She had barely slept two hours before she woke up nearly screaming.  
  
"Stop!"  
  
"Buffy! Buffy, what's wrong?" Angel asked.  
  
She took a few deep breaths and then looked around the room. She sighed and relaxed in Angel's arms. "I'm ok. I'm here."  
  
"Yeah, you're ok. You're right here with me."  
  
"Oh God, all those deaths."  
  
"What deaths baby?"  
  
"I was back on the battlefield. I could see the Beast and that man with the long hair. I swear that I know him. Anyway, mom was there with me this time. We started to walk closer to the Beast and the man. Every now and then, mom would stop and tell me how this man died and how that man died and I would feel it. It hurt so bad."  
  
"It's ok. It wasn't real."  
  
"It was! This isn't just a dream Angel, it's a memory of some sort. It's a memory of something that's already happened. I don't know when, but it was all so horrible. This time I could almost taste the blood in the air."  
  
"Shh." Angel stroked Buffy's hair, which was half matted down with sweat. "It's ok. You're safe."  
  
"I know. But I don't want to go back to sleep."  
  
"Ok, we won't. Do you wanna watch some TV?" Buffy nodded slightly. "Ok, we'll just find a movie to watch. I'm sure Gwen has all the movie channels." She smiled dimly, still engulfed in the horror of the dream. Two hours passed and Angel took her into the kitchen just before they had to take up their duties watching Manny. While Angel made them drinks, Buffy went to the bathroom.  
  
"How's Manny?" Angel asked as he and Buffy entered the study.  
  
"Fine. Gave him some magazines about a half hour ago to keep him occupied." Gunn said.  
  
"Swimsuit edition. He's occupied." Gwen said. She looked at Gunn. "Come on. I'll show you where you can crash."  
  
Gwen and Gunn left Buffy and Angel alone. Buffy sat down and took a sip of her coffee. Angel sat across from her, a tall glass of blood in his hand. He looked over at her. She was curled in on herself and looking drawn and tired. "You ok?"  
  
"I can't get that dream out of my head." Buffy said, staring straight ahead. "It keeps playing over and over. One guy died after hours of suffering. He had been stabbed so many times, but nowhere where it would kill him instantly. He just laid there for hours and hours bleeding to death, suffering almost unbearable pain."  
  
"Buffy, shh. Don't think about it."  
  
"I'm so tired that I'm afraid that I'm going to fall asleep and be in the dream again. I don't want to hear how those people died. People I couldn't save." She looked down into her coffee for a long moment and then took a sip of it.  
  
She and Angel sat there in silence for about an hour. Buffy's lids felt heavy, so she shut them, but made sure she didn't fall asleep. The next thing she knew, Gunn was in her face yelling at her to wake up.  
  
"Please.. I'm awake!" Angel yelled.  
  
"What the hell are you doing falling asleep on watch?" Gwen asked.  
  
"I wasn't.."  
  
"What's happening?" Buffy asked. Gunn knelt beside Buffy as she groggily came around as well.  
  
".. Asleep." Angel looked around. "Manny!" He leapt up and ran over to the vault door. It slid open to reveal Manny's butchered body. Great swaths of blood and gore covered the walls. "It got him."  
  
"Ugh! You think?" Buffy asked.  
  
Gwen moved away and started to pace. "Was that part of his powers? Extra blood and guts? I mean, that's.. That's a lot of blood and guts in there. No way all that Stephen King came out of a normal guy."  
  
"It was the Beast. It was looking for something Manny had." Angel said.  
  
"How do you know?" Gunn asked.  
  
Buffy held up Manny's hat. The center had been punched out of it. Angel pointed at it. "Emptied out his head to find it."  
  
"Ugh!" Buffy tossed the hat down.  
  
"Wait. Manny said he was an orb-keeper, right? Maybe he kept an orb." Gwen said.  
  
"In his head?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Where do you keep yours?"  
  
"Hold on a second. She's right." Angel said.  
  
"Of course." Buffy muttered.  
  
"Semkhet, the demon in the cave, you said someone already pulled out the toy surprise." Angel said to Gwen.  
  
"Did I?" Gwen asked.  
  
"The Beast is pulling something out of these totems."  
  
"And you knew that." Gunn said.  
  
"Something you're not telling me, Gwen?"  
  
Everyone started at her. Finally she caved. "All right. My client.. The Beast grabbed something out of him, too. A little metal boxy thing."  
  
"And you neglected to mention this fact." Buffy said, standing a little taller next to Angel.  
  
"I don't know, I thought the box might be worth something. Look, the apocalypse was coming, there was a giant killer demon. I panicked. And oh, by the way, I'm still a thief and as a rule, we don't share information."  
  
"Okay, what about this cave demon? You think the big ugly went treasure hunting inside of him?" Gunn asked.  
  
"It's definitely possible." Angel said.  
  
"Yes!" Buffy said. "But what's impossible is thinking that somehow, some way, the Beast found where we were hiding, spiked the drinks we made ourselves, snuck through this unreasonably large apartment on the tippy- toes of his cloven feet right up to the vault and killed poor Manny unseen and unheard."  
  
"Maybe whoever did it didn't have cloven feet." Gunn said. Buffy looked at him, knowing where he was going with it. "'The answer is among you.' I can't be the only one thinking it."  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. Connor doesn't even know where we are."  
  
"You didn't call him?" Angel asked.  
  
"He's with Xander at Merrick's old apartment. That's where Cordy and Xander have been staying since we got back. There isn't a phone there. I can't believe you'd even consider.."  
  
"Even if she didn't call him, last time I checked, that boy could track anybody anywhere." Gunn said.  
  
"But I'd know if he'd been here. I'd be able to smell him." Angel said.  
  
"Same way you smelled whatever it was spiking your blood?"  
  
"This is impossible." Gwen said.  
  
"Yeah, I thought we were pretty clear on the whole impossible issue." Buffy said.  
  
"Unseen and unheard.. Security cameras!" Gwen walked out of the room. Buffy, Angel, and Gunn were hot on her heels. "Got them in every room. We just gotta rewind the tapes."  
  
"Okay." Angel turned to Gunn. "In the meantime, call the hotel. Tell them about Manny. Tell them about the toy surprises, too. Let's see if we can find out what they're for and how we can stop the Beast from using them."  
  
"Angel, about Connor.." Gunn said.  
  
"We'll check it out later, like we do every other lead. Go."  
  
He headed for the security room as Gunn took out his cell phone and dialed. Buffy was standing in the doorway as Gwen stared at a bank of monitors filled with static snow.  
  
"What's that?" Buffy asked.  
  
"That's nothing. The tapes just go blank. It's like the electrics got cut. Let me check the systems log." Gwen said. She pushed a button and a keyboard slid out. While she typed, Buffy pulled Angel aside.  
  
"We have to talk to him, Angel." Buffy said.  
  
"Who? Gunn? I just did." Angel said.  
  
"Connor, you dolt, and you knew who I meant so why push my buttons?"  
  
"Maybe cause it's nice to make you crazy."  
  
"I'm already crazy. But you can't seriously think he did it.. When there are other more liar-like suspects." Buffy looked over at Gwen.  
  
"Well, so far he's the only one who's got a connection to the Beast."  
  
"I've got the origin of the blackout." Gwen said. "It kicked off in a small subset of the municipal A-14 grid. That's the one under this block. About 10 minutes before your watch."  
  
"What does that mean?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It means that somebody knew when you were going to take over that watch and somebody knew whose drinks to spike. You ask me, this is an inside job."  
  
"Funny how you were inside at the time."  
  
"Look, back off Buffy. Let's just focus on the guy trying to blot out the sun. We'll point fingers later." Angel said.  
  
"Fine. Let's just get back to the hotel." Buffy said, rolling her eyes. 


	44. Long Day's Journey part 3

Chapter 44  
  
Angel, Gwen, Gunn, and Buffy strolled into the Hyperion. Buffy and Gwen were arguing again.  
  
"I'm just saying, it never would have happened on my watch." Gwen said.  
  
"Gosh, no! Because you're supertramp." Buffy said.  
  
Angel went over to the counter where Lorne was researching. "What's the latest?"  
  
"I checked out the ritual like you asked. Looks like there's some assembly required." Lorne said, pulling out a book. "Turns out these three pieces were inside the totems. Beast kills the totems, yanks out the pieces and builds himself a big old light switch."  
  
"Well, what about the other two? What did he take out of them?" Angel asked.  
  
"Well, I know he sucked the energy out of the little girl and he ripped the heart out of the shaman but what's not clear is how he's going to use them."  
  
"These wings.. They're metal, right? Get me close enough and I can melt them. That'll slow him down." Gwen said.  
  
"If we find him in time. Need I remind everyone that he's already got all the pieces plus we don't even know where he's going to perform this ritual?" Cordy said.  
  
"Sun or no sun, I'm not worried about slowing him down. I'm worried about taking him out." Gunn said.  
  
"We may have a solution for that." Wesley said as he and Fred entered from the office.  
  
"We've done a lot of research and we think we found a way to get rid of the Beast. A portal." Fred said.  
  
Gunn shook his head. "Figures."  
  
"We've tried conventional methods: firearms, the usual weaponry. None of which seem to work." Wes said.  
  
"But if we stand against it long enough to find a way to corner it, maneuver it into position.." Buffy said.  
  
"Then maybe we can send this thing back to the hell-sweet-hell it came from." Lorne finished.  
  
Gunn stalked over to the weapons cabinet and put away his things, obviously upset. Fred went over and tried to calm him down. "I know what you must be thinking."  
  
"That we should have learned our lesson?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Wesley and I have decided this is our only option."  
  
"I know. But I don't got to like it." He walked over and joined the others.  
  
"Okay, so we've got everything we need to stop the ritual. Let's clear out of here and try and locate the Beast." Angel said. As he started packing up the books, Cordelia's eyes went wide and she gasped as she received a vision of a medieval battlefield strewn with bloody and broken corpses. The Beast stood above it all, watching the dead and dying.  
  
"Oh, my God.." Cordy said.  
  
"Another vision?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Same one. Only there was more of it. A massacre. So many people on the ground.. Dead, dying.. The screaming was so loud."  
  
"Wait! Was it a battlefield?"  
  
Cordy nodded. Angel looked from one woman to the other. "Could either of you hear the demon?"  
  
"No." Buffy said.  
  
"But whoever it was talking to, they felt familiar. Like someone I know." Cordy said.  
  
"Exactly. I could see the back of him, but I just can't figure out who it is."  
  
"Connor." Angel said.  
  
"I think it's time we bring him into this, Angel. If nothing else, he's our best chance at finding the Beast." Cordy said.  
  
"No. It isn't him. The hair is too long and dark." Buffy said.  
  
"We can't take any chances. If it is him, we gotta know about it." Angel said.  
  
"Angel, would you listen to me for once?"  
  
"I do listen to you."  
  
"Not usually, no. Not when it comes to Connor. I'm his mother. I'm also the Slayer. Connected to the Powers. They're sending me dreams. I can see a man talking to the Beast and it's not Connor. I agree with Cordy that he may be able to find the Beast because he does seem to have a nose for it, but it's not Connor that's the bad guy here. It's someone else. Someone we know."  
  
"All right. Say it is someone we know. What about Connor? How come he can find this thing and we can't?"  
  
"I don't know. I don't really care. All I know is that's my son out there and he's in danger. I'm going to go do the saving thing that I'm so damn good at right now." Buffy stormed out, angry with Angel that he could try and pin this on their son. The rest of the gang followed her out. They each piled in a car. Buffy, Angel, and Gwen, in Angel's convertible and Gunn, Fred, and Wesley in the Wes' SUV.  
  
Angel pulled up to Merrick's old building just as Connor flew out the window and fell five stories to land in a bloody and battered heap on the pavement in front of them. Cordelia, Gunn, Gwen, Angel, Buffy, Wesley, and Fred emerge from their cars. Angel and Buffy ran to Connor. Buffy cradled his head in her lap.  
  
"Oh, my God.. Connor." Buffy said, stroking the blood out of his face.  
  
"What happened?" Angel asked.  
  
"The Beast.. It's upstairs.. With Xander." Connor gasped.  
  
"Maybe it needs to do the ritual.." Wesley said.  
  
"In the place Connor's staying." Gunn finished.  
  
"We'll figure that out later. Everybody gear up. Wes, you got everything you need?" Angel asked.  
  
"Ready." Wes said.  
  
Gunn went to the car's trunk and took out axes, swords, and other weapons. He handed some to Angel and Buffy. Buffy stood and allowed Cordy to take care of Connor.  
  
"Gwen, go for the orb, the wings, whatever you can get your hands on. We can't let him finish the spell. Gunn, you, Angel, and I will keep the Beast busy long enough for Fred and Wesley to work the portal mojo. Cordy.. Keep him safe." Buffy said.  
  
"Mom.. Dad.." Connor croaked.  
  
"It's okay, Connor. We're here now." Angel said. "Let's go!"  
  
They ran up to Merrick's old apartment, Buffy in the lead. She kicked down the door and found the Beast holding some contraption and chanting. Xander was lying in a corner, unconscious.  
  
"He's already started." Fred said.  
  
Gunn attacked. The Beast swatted him away and Gunn crashed to floor in a heap as Angel and Buffy attacked the Beast. Fred and Wesley stood off to the side chanting while Gwen tried to get at the idol. She spotted an opening and dashed across the room toward it. The Beast tossed Angel aside and turned back to Gunn with Buffy in the air by her neck when it spotted Gwen behind it. It picked Buffy up further and hurled her at Gwen. She struck Gwen full force and they dropped to the floor, both dazed. The idol broke into its three component pieces and the orb rolled across the floor.  
  
"The orb! Don't let it.." Buffy tried to yell.  
  
The glass orb came to rest right between the Beast's feet. It looked down at Buffy and Angel with a predatory smile. It knelt in the center of the runic diagram. "Ahmun Semkhet. Vesh ra'an Manjet." A shimmering energy filed started to form around the Beast.  
  
"Angel.." Wes said.  
  
"Yeah, I got it. Everybody get ready." Angel said.  
  
Buffy watched the energy portal form around the Beast, then made her move as the Beast said, "Ket Mesektet."  
  
"Now or never." Buffy said. She raised her sword and attacked along with Angel and Gunn. Between the three of them, they forced it backward toward the portal. With a final leaping kick, Angel knocked it into the energy field and it disappeared.  
  
"We did it. Didn't we?" Buffy asked, looking around.  
  
The group approached the windows and looked outside with apprehension while Buffy went to check on Xander. He was just coming around as she helped him stand.  
  
"Why is it still getting dark?" Fred asked.  
  
"I told you once.." They all spun around to find the Beast behind them, striding into the room. They backed away from it in shock. "You need not be my enemy, Angelus." As Angel stared at it in stunned silence, the Beast bent down and picked up the orb from the center of the ritual circle. It put the orb in its mouth and swallowed, then turned to Angel. "We'll meet again.. Soon." Then it leapt out the window and was gone.  
  
"My God.. The sun. It's gone. Completely obliterated." Wes said, looking out the window.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Xander asked.  
  
"It's a really long story." Buffy said. "Can you walk Xand?"  
  
"Yeah. Where's Cordy?"  
  
"She's outside with Connor."  
  
"Oh God, Connor. He.. He flew out the window."  
  
"He's ok."  
  
"Go."  
  
Buffy nodded and she and Angel ran outside. Connor and Cordy stood leaning on Angel's car, staring up at the darkened sky. The rest of the group followed them out as Buffy walked up to Connor and allowed him to lean on her.  
  
"Angel, we have to talk." Cordy said.  
  
"I can't believe we lost the sun." Fred said.  
  
"Angel, I think I figured it out."  
  
"So have I. The Beast knows me." Angel said.  
  
"No, it doesn't. It knows Angelus." At the mention of that name, Angel looked around uncomfortably as everyone stared at him. "Am I right? While you were upstairs, it came to me. I wasn't having a vision of the demon. I was having a memory of it."  
  
"How's that again?" Gwen asked.  
  
"I told you, when I was a higher being, I'd experienced everything you'd ever done as Angelus. But since I've been back, my memory's been fading until the Powers decided to.. Jog it, I guess. Angel, I saw you, long ago, standing in a field of bodies with the Beast."  
  
"You knew this thing and you didn't tell us?" Connor asked.  
  
"No! I couldn't come up against something like that and not remember." Angel said.  
  
"It was Angelus." Buffy said. "I knew the man in my dream looked familiar. Turn around Angel." He did as she said. "Oh God."  
  
"'The answer is among you.'" Gunn said. "That's what the little girl meant, isn't it? This was never about Connor. It's about.."  
  
"Angelus." Fred said.  
  
"I'm telling you, I don't know this Beast. I'd remember." Angel said.  
  
"Like you remember falling asleep before Manny got killed?" Cordy asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"An inside job." Gwen said.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"It means you're a suspect. If Cordelia's right, we should admit the possibility that this Beast may have some sort of power over you. To make you do things. To make you forget." Wesley said.  
  
"And it has a plan. The rain of fire, taking down Wolfram & Hart, even blotting out the sun.. I think now those were only the first steps to something bigger." Cordy said.  
  
"Well, I don't know what to tell any of you because I don't know what the plan is!" Angel said, getting angry.  
  
"No.. But Angelus might." Wesley said. "There's only one way we're going to defeat this Beast. We need Angelus."  
  
Everyone went totally silent. They stared at Angel. Then, Buffy started to laugh. At first it was just a barely audible giggle, but it grew slowly towards a hysterical laughing. As she laughed, she managed to say, "Yeah, right."  
  
"Uh oh." Xander said.  
  
"Buffy.." Wesley said. "What's the matter with you?"  
  
"You're funny Wes." Buffy said, tears rolling down her eyes.  
  
"I wasn't joking."  
  
"Oh, but you were. There's no way we're bringing Angelus out."  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
She stopped laughing and became deadly serious. "You have no idea what you're asking Wesley."  
  
"I most certainly do."  
  
"You've never been up against Angelus."  
  
"I have."  
  
"That was half Angelus. It was a fake happy." Angel said quietly.  
  
"But it was Angelus. I know what it's like to face him."  
  
"You have absolutely no idea." Buffy said, her expression darkening. Connor moved to hold her back, but she shoved him away harshly.  
  
"Buffy, I understand.."  
  
"You understand nothing." Buffy yelled. "Were you there Wesley the five months Angelus spent torturing me? Killing people I knew? Torturing the people I love? Were you there when he tortured Giles for hours just for pleasure? Were you there when he taunted me with everything he knew about me? About how much Angel loved me and how much I had loved him? Were you standing there watching as Angelus tried to kill my best friend right in front of me? Were you there when he put Willow in the hospital and had Drusilla kill Kendra?"  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"No, Wesley, you weren't. You have no idea the hell I was put through for five months!" Tears rolled down Buffy's eyes as the memories cascaded through her mind. "Cordy, Xander.. They were there. They saw what Angelus did to me; what he did to Sunnydale. And I'm pretty damn sure they would agree with me that bringing Angelus out is a completely bad idea."  
  
"It's the only way."  
  
"Then we'll find another fucking away! We are not bringing Angelus out. Not now and not ever!" Buffy screamed at the top of her lungs. She looked around, avoiding Angel's eyes, and then she took off running. Angel turned to Wesley and punched him straight in the face.  
  
"How could you do that her? After all you've put us through?" Angel asked. He didn't let Wesley answer because he was running after Buffy.  
  
Gunn, Wesley, Cordy, Gwen, Connor, Xander, and Fred watched him go after Buffy. Buffy's words echoed in their minds. They knew she was right, but Wesley did have a point. Maybe Angelus was the only way. 


	45. Awakening part 1

Chapter 45  
  
Buffy sat up in Angel's apartment curled in on herself. When Angel had finally caught up to her and assured her that he wasn't letting Angelus out no matter what anyone said, they had come back here and Angel had put her to bed. Wesley was nowhere to be found and the rest of the gang was downstairs. Finally, Buffy got up and walked down the steps.  
  
"You're wasting your time. The answer is among us." Connor said, pointing at Angel in the office. "He knows. He's part of the plan."  
  
"He doesn't remember." Cordy said.  
  
"So he says. You and mom both saw him yourselves making a pact with the Beast."  
  
"It wasn't Angel. It was Angelus."  
  
"He is Angelus."  
  
"Believe me. You've never met Angelus."  
  
"Me neither." Gunn said. "But I'm starting to think maybe it's time we did. Maybe Wes is right. Big beastie has got to be stopped and I'm fresh out of ideas. If there's even a chance Angelus could have inside info we could use.."  
  
"And you think he's willingly going to turn it over?" Buffy asked. They all turned to her startled. She hadn't made a sound as she watched them.  
  
"I think it's worth a try. Look Buffy, I know that you went through hell five years ago, but it's not gonna happen this time."  
  
"You can't guarantee that. Besides, bringing Angelus out? Not gonna happen. The gypsies cursed him with a soul so he could feel remorse, to make him suffer for all the people he slaughtered. Removing that soul is the only way to change Angel back into Angelus. Right now, it's a lot easier said than done. The gypsy curse was specific. For Angel to lose his soul, he would have to experience a moment of perfect, pure happiness. But that was then. Willow changed the spell. The happiness clause is out. There is no way to bring Angelus out now."  
  
"Then why did you overreact that way back there Buffy?" Fred asked.  
  
"You think I liked hearing that we NEED Angelus. No one could ever possibly need Angelus. I'm sorry I acted the way I did, but the only people in this room that would understand are Cordy and Xander." Buffy looked at them and they nodded slightly.  
  
Angel and Lorne came out of the office. Angel looked up and saw Buffy standing there. She looked tired and small. "Buffy."  
  
"Did Lorne help you remember?" Buffy asked, not wanting to make small talk about how she was feeling.  
  
"No."  
  
"Anything at all?" Xander asked.  
  
"Nothing." Angel looked at Fred. "So what have we got?"  
  
"A puzzle with missing pieces and some cryptic gibberish." Fred said. "Angel, whatever power this device had got swallowed up by the Beast. It won't bring back the sun. Without the orb, it's as useless as.."  
  
"Us. Face it, man, we're losing ground. Pretty much the only victory we can claim is that we're not dead yet." Gunn said.  
  
Angel looked around at the defeated expressions on the faces of the people around him. "Okay, look, I know things haven't been going our way lately but things change and we're not down for the count yet. Look, the Beast is not our only concern right now. Until we figure out how to end eternal darkness, it's a devil's playground out there."  
  
"Just the way you like it, huh?" Connor asked.  
  
"Connor." Buffy warned.  
  
"Something to say, Connor? You got a problem?" Angel asked.  
  
"You."  
  
"Hey! Connor." Buffy warned again. He looked at her and kept going.  
  
"Acting like the big leader. Like we don't already know what we know."  
  
"And what do you know?" Angel asked.  
  
"Would you two stop?" Buffy said, stepping down from the landing.  
  
"Everybody thought it was me. Maybe even I was starting to. But it was you all along. You're the one who's working with the Beast." Connor said, standing up.  
  
"I'm not." Angel said.  
  
"Well, then you're a puppet! Either way, everything's going to hell because of you. You're the reason that the sun is gone. You're the reason mom looks as terrible as she does. It's you. You're the reason my life sucks."  
  
"Get over it."  
  
"Damn it you two! Why don't you BOTH get over it? Sure, the world sucks. I'm the most qualified in the room to say it. But none of us need the testosterone poisoning that's oozing out of you both." Buffy said, glaring at her son and husband. "Connor, sit down and shut up. This isn't Angel's fault. Angel, don't urge him on."  
  
"Not to be a butinsky but could we get back to the pep-talky thing?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Well, I'm not one to turn down a little pep but I'd much prefer we had a plan." Fred said.  
  
"Here's one." Wesley said, stepping into the room with a robed man. "Him."  
  
"Who is he?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Wo Pang. He can deliver Angelus to us."  
  
"Thought you said.." Gunn said to Buffy.  
  
"Me, too." Buffy said.  
  
"Fred, would you mind brewing some tea for our guest?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Sure." She motioned for Wo Pang to follow her.  
  
Angel walked over and took Wesley by the arm and pulled him into the office. "What do you mean 'deliver Angelus'?"  
  
"Wo Pang's a shaman.. Order of the Kun-Sun-Dai." Wesley said.  
  
"Dark mystics? You brought a dark mystic here without talking.."  
  
"Claims he has the power to extract souls."  
  
"Claims?"  
  
"More importantly, he can restore them. Once we learn what it is Angelus knows about the Beast.."  
  
"We're not bringing Angelus. I promised Buffy."  
  
"You don't have a choice."  
  
"Actually, I do. That was it. You want to hear it again? Not with the bringing."  
  
"Don't make this harder than it has to be, Angel. There's no Plan B and we're running out of time. People are in serious danger."  
  
"Then unleashing Angelus is the last thing that we should do. If he's here, I'm not. I won't be able to protect anyone from the Beast.. Or from me."  
  
"We have Buffy."  
  
"You think she'd be able to kill me? After all we've been through in the past year? Do you really think she could? Look at her Wesley. That's just from even thinking about bringing Angelus out."  
  
"It's only temporary. We'll take all the necessary precautions in the interim. Contain you. I'm not blind to the risks. I know what Angelus.."  
  
"Did you not listen to what Buffy said? You have no idea what Angelus is, Wesley. All you know is what you've read in books. You've never had the pleasure of his company, Buffy has. You're not going to. Get rid of the shaman." Angel turned and walked back out into the lobby, past all of his stunned friends, and out into the solarium. After a moment, Cordelia followed.  
  
Buffy watched them go. She knew what Wesley and Angel had been talking about. Connor came to stand next to her. "Mom?"  
  
"Don't talk to me Connor." Buffy said.  
  
"Mom.."  
  
"Connor, I know exactly what you're going to say. Don't. Angel is not the reason your life sucks. And who says your life sucks? You think everyone's life is full of sunshine and roses? I know mine isn't. Hasn't been for the past eight years. Angel's right. Get over it." Buffy walked away and disappeared in the kitchen. After a minute, Lorne joined her.  
  
"You ok Blondie? Fred told me about your little scene earlier."  
  
"I'll be fine." She took a sip of water and set the sup back down. "Once this is all over, I'll be fine."  
  
Lorne nodded and walked out of the kitchen with her. Just as they got back into the lobby, Angel came walking through the doors. "We're going to need a cage."  
  
"A cage?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Strong one, about 10 x 12, steel-reinforced, two-inch bars. Maybe three. I'll make some calls." Angel shut the door to the office behind him.  
  
"What? He thinks something like that's going to hold the Beast?" Gunn asked.  
  
"It's not for the Beast. It's for him." Wesley said.  
  
Buffy stared at the door to the office. Everyone went their own ways and started to get to work on building the cage. The anger started to really build in Buffy now. After a few minutes had passed, Angel walked out of the office. He stopped and looked at Buffy. She closed her eyes, shook her head, and ran up the stairs.  
  
"Buffy!" Angel called, running after her. He burst through the door and shut it behind him. Buffy stood in the middle of the room, sobbing.  
  
"You promised me!" Buffy said quietly over and over. The more she said it, the louder it got. "YOU PROMISED ME!"  
  
"I know."  
  
"How could you do this to me?"  
  
"It's not about you, Buffy. It's about getting back the sun."  
  
"I don't give a damn what this about! You promised me that Angelus was gone for good. Never to be seen ever again." Tears poured down her face. "All those things he did to me!"  
  
"I know. I was there."  
  
"No you weren't. If you had been there, Angelus wouldn't have been."  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"Don't say my name like that! You don't have the right to anymore!"  
  
"Why not? Huh Buffy?"  
  
"Do NOT try and fight back now."  
  
"I'm going to. I understand why you're mad, I do. But Buffy, this is the only way."  
  
"And you know he's not going to talk. It's all going to be a waste."  
  
"Maybe, but it's worth a shot."  
  
"No, it's really not! Have you even thought about the what ifs?"  
  
"We don't have time for that!"  
  
"What if he gets out? What if manages to get rid of your soul once and for all? What if he kills all of our friends? What if he kills me? What if he CHANGES me? He's perfectly capable of doing it Angel! And what's worse is that he knows that I won't be able to kill him."  
  
"You did it once."  
  
"No! I killed YOU once."  
  
"It was Angelus you were fighting."  
  
"It was YOU I sent to hell. It was YOU I stabbed through the heart with Kendra's sword. It destroyed me Angel! It destroyed me when I lost you!" Angel went to wrap his arms around Buffy, but she shoved him back with all of her strength. He went flying across the room and crashed into the wall, leaving a dent. "Don't touch me! I hate you! I hate you! I HATE YOU! You're not Angel! You're not. You can't be. Angel wouldn't do this to me!"  
  
Angel got up and walked back up to Buffy, knowing he was going to get the brunt of her anger through her fists. As expected, she lashed out with her fists. Blow after blow struck his face and then they moved down to his chest. She was pounding on his chest and sobbing. None of the blows were her full strength. Buffy was just Buffy. She was sobbing over her love that was trying to leave her. Angel knew that these were all the tears that she hadn't let out after he had left her graduation day. Finally he blows stopped and she was leaning into his chest sobbing loudly.  
  
"Shh. Please Buffy." Angel stroked her hair. "Don't cry."  
  
"How can I not?" She tried to push him away, but Angel held on with everything he was.  
  
"You have every right to. Go ahead, cry until your body doesn't have any moisture left in it."  
  
"Stop it."  
  
"Buffy, this is pointless. I'm not going to be gone that long."  
  
"What if.." Angel silenced her with a kiss. At first she tried to pull away, but then Angel deepened the kiss and she melted into it. When they broke apart, Buffy gasping for breath, Angel laid his forehead to hers.  
  
"I love you Buffy. Don't ever, ever doubt that. Nothing can take me away from you. I've always been in your heart. Remember? Always."  
  
"Don't do that!" She shoved him away again. "You can't just kiss me and expect everything to be ok! It's not! You're leaving me again."  
  
"I'm not! Buffy.." Angel was cut off by a knock at the door. Gunn stood on the other side.  
  
"Everything ok up here? I heard screaming."  
  
"Not now Gunn." Angel said.  
  
"Um, Wes is almost done."  
  
Angel nodded and looked back at Buffy. She had her back turned to him. Angel sighed and looked back at Gunn. "We'll be done in a minute." Gunn nodded and left. Angel looked down at his hand. The Gem of Amara caught his eye. "Oh God." He ripped it off his finger. "Buffy."  
  
"What?" Acid dripped in her tone as she spun to face him.  
  
"Take this." He put the Gem in her hand and closed it. "Hide it somewhere safe. Don't let me find out where it's at."  
  
"I knew it! You're just as scared as I am that Angelus is going to get out."  
  
"No.."  
  
"You wouldn't be giving me the ring if you weren't."  
  
"Ok, I'm scared too."  
  
"And your claddagh?"  
  
"Will never leave my finger."  
  
"Fine." Buffy tightened her fist over the ring. "I'll put it somewhere safe."  
  
"Thank you." Angel started to walk out of the room, but stopped and turned back around just as he was about to step out of the doorway. "Buffy, I love you." She had her back turned again. Angel could tell she was crying again. If there was anything he could do right then, he would. But there was nothing, so he just left. 


	46. Awakening part 2

Chapter 46  
  
Wesley used a blowtorch to weld the thick bars of the cage together while Connor and Gunn assembled the cage door. Inside, Xander constructed a table with manacled restraints. Wesley finished as Angel approached and inspected the cage.  
  
"That's it, then." Wesley said.  
  
"You got it?" Gunn asked Connor.  
  
Connor tightened the bolts on the door with a wrench. "Yeah." As he finished and stepped back, Angel took the wrench from him and checked his work.  
  
"All right. Tell the shaman we're ready." Angel said.  
  
Gunn headed upstairs to get him. Lorne walked up to Angel. "Hey, listen, Angelcakes, if it's all the same with you, I think I might sit this one out upstairs. You know how dark magick unleashing unspeakable evil gives me the heebies."  
  
"It's okay. Tell Buffy, Cordy, and Fred they don't need to be down here, either."  
  
"Gotcha, chief. Break a leg." He headed upstairs and Connor started to follow him with Xander.  
  
"Connor."  
  
"What?" Connor asked, stopping.  
  
"Look, I know you like to think that I'm the enemy but if this works.. I will be. I'm going to become the one thing you were raised to believe I was. The thing I never wanted you to see."  
  
"Yeah. I think I can handle it."  
  
"Uh-huh. Well, just keep in mind that whatever Angelus says, whatever he does.. Remember, he's not your father. I am. No matter what happens or.. Happened, I love you." Connor started to leave again, but Angel stopped him. "Look, one more thing. Since I'm going to be out of commission for a while, I want you to, you know, take care of everybody. Keep them safe. Especially your mother. That means if anything should go wrong with Angelus, you're going to have to kill me. I don't know if Buffy can."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"If anything goes wrong."  
  
"Dad, I got it. I'll take care of mom."  
  
Angel nodded and watched Connor go upstairs. A few minutes later, Gunn and Wesley walked down with Connor and Xander. Angel walked over to the table and laid down. Gunn and Xander started to tie Angel up to the table.  
  
"How sturdy is this thing?" Angel asked Xander.  
  
"Well, my craftsmanship is pretty darn good. So I'd say, pretty darn sturdy." Xander said with a small smile.  
  
"I know how much you must hate me right now."  
  
"Buffy's my best friend. I saw what this did to her the first time. I only hate you a little right now Dead Boy."  
  
"Keep her safe."  
  
"You know I will."  
  
"What's that?" Buffy asked the shaman.  
  
"It is the muo-ping. The receptacle that will house his soul." Wo Pang answered.  
  
"Buffy? I don't want you here." Angel said, straining to look at her.  
  
"Yeah? Tough."  
  
Connor and Cordy watched from the stairs as Gunn and Xander finished binding Angel and Wo Pang stepped inside the cage and closed the door. He looked at Gunn. "It would be wise for your safety to add the second lock to the door."  
  
"Do as he says." Wesley said.  
  
Gunn slipped a padlock through the hasp on the door and locked it. Cordy walked up to the cage and looked at Angel. "Angel, you don't have to do this."  
  
"Now she tells me." Angel said.  
  
Wo Pang placed his hand on Angel's forehead. He was about to speak, but Buffy stopped him. "Angel?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I love you. I just wanted you to know that."  
  
Angel looked at her and smiled. "Always Buffy."  
  
"Always."  
  
"Close your eyes and don't speak now." Wo Pang said. He closed his eyes also and began the incantation. "Wo qing qui Wu xin zi li Kun, zhen, xun, kan, li. Ci wo ton ling Ji fao muo li." Wo Pang's eyes turned blood red. "Wo hao zhao Jue xin ze Wan cheng Ta de zi yuan." He leaned in close to Angel and whispered to him. "Time to say goodbye." He whipped a sword out from beneath his cloak with a flourish and brought it down in a flash toward Angel's neck.  
  
Angel broke free and stopped the blade inches from his neck. Gunn frantically tried to open the lock on the door.  
  
"Gunn!" Wesley said.  
  
"Hurry!" Cordy yelled.  
  
"Fool! Why would I help you? I serve the Awakened One!" Wo Pang yelled.  
  
"A little help here, please.." Angel said.  
  
Buffy shoved Gunn away and ripped the locks open. The door swung open and Wo Pang switched his attack from Angel to Buffy. While he was occupied, Angel worked free of his bonds. Wo Pang kicked Buffy out into the room where she landed on the table and shattered the glass receptacle. Wesley charged but ducked aside when Wo Pang's blade sliced the air inches from his head. Then Connor was there ducking and feinting, landing quick blows between Wo Pang's attacks. He leapt into the air and connected squarely with Wo Pang's chest, sending him reeling around to come face-to-face with Angel. Wo Pang looked around and found himself surrounded by Gunn, Buffy, Wesley, Connor, and Angel.  
  
"So this was all a set-up? This whole soul colonic thing.. For what?" Buffy asked.  
  
"That's what I'd like to know." Angel said. They began to close in on Wo Pang and he backed up until he was against the wall. "Why does the Beast suddenly want me dead? Did Angelus welsh on our pact, is that it?" No answer. "Okay, then maybe you can shed a little light as to what the Beast's plan is." Wo Pang waved his dagger threateningly toward Angel and the others. "Or maybe I should just start taking you apart now. Piece.." Wo Pang turned the dagger on himself and stabbed himself in the chest. He dropped to the floor, dead. "By piece."  
  
"Well, so much for that font of information." Buffy said.  
  
"Gunn, see if he has anything on him." Wesley said.  
  
Gunn knelt down and pulled back Wo Pang's hood and robes. His entire body was covered with tattooed Chinese characters. "He's got something on him, all right."  
  
"Gunn, Xander, move him on the table in there." Buffy said.  
  
They nodded and picked the dead shaman up. Fred and Lorne came down, wanting to know what all the commotion was about. The guys got Wo Pang on the table. Wesley pulled the robes back to reveal Wo Pang's back. He examined the corpse with a magnifying glass while Fred held a light for him.  
  
"Is there any part of this guy that doesn't have writing all over it?" Lorne asked. "Scratch that. I don't want to know."  
  
"Can you translate it?" Buffy asked Wesley.  
  
"Most of it. Definitely scripture. A recorded history of the Kun-Sun-Dai. They're acolytes of the Beast, all right." Wesley said.  
  
"So that's why we couldn't find anything written about beastie-boy in the books." Gunn said. "These jokers are walking around with it on their asses."  
  
Wesley folded back more of Wo Pang's robes. "Hang on."  
  
"What is it?" Angel asked.  
  
"There's a passage here. Difficult to.. Fred, could you?" She raised the light higher. "It's detailing the acolytes' victory over the Bosh M'ad sometime in.. I think in the 3 rd Century."  
  
"What's a Bosh.. Whatever you said?" Buffy asked.  
  
"The opposers of the Awakening. The Bosh M'ad forged something to destroy the Beast. The Tooth of Light."  
  
"They made a tooth?" Xander asked.  
  
"To the best of my interpretation, a weapon of some kind."  
  
"How'd it work out for 'em?" Gunn asked.  
  
"It was never used. The Awakening was centuries away. In the meantime, every last one of the Bosh M'ad was wiped out by the Beast's acolytes."  
  
"So this tooth thing must have had them worried. What happened to it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Never found. The opposers kept it hidden."  
  
"Great. So now we have to find a tooth in a haystack." Xander said.  
  
"We don't even know what the weapon is." Angel said.  
  
Cordy's eyes went white. "It's a sword. The Sword of Bosh M'ad. I can see it. Pretty." The vision ended and her eyes returned to normal. She took a deep breath and looked at the others. Xander walked over to her and put his arm around her waist. "I know where it is."  
  
"Where?" Angel asked.  
  
"It's here. Under the city."  
  
"Well, that's a break." Fred said.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Angel asked Wesley. "There's a sword. A sword to kill the Beast. And you wanted to turn me into Angelus by having an evil shaman cut off my head. Not that that wasn't a swell plan, too."  
  
"Sorry." Wesley said.  
  
"Was that an apology?"  
  
"I was careless. I made a mistake that almost cost you your life. Would have made helping Buffy find you and save you a big waste of my time."  
  
"Yeah, that would have been a drag. It's just the first time I've ever heard you apologize about anything."  
  
"So we gonna go get the sword or what?" Connor asked.  
  
"Yeah. Cordy?"  
  
"Leading the way. Got it." Cordy said, walking up the stairs after Wesley. Once everyone left the room, Angel started to head upstairs also, but noticed Buffy was still downstairs staring at the dead shaman. "Buffy?"  
  
She looked up. "Huh?"  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"Fine. Just.. Thinking."  
  
"Come on. I need you too."  
  
"Coming." Buffy followed him up.  
  
  
  
Cordy led Angel, Connor, Buffy, and Wesley through the sewers. Everything was dark and dank and stinky.  
  
"I don't get this." Angel said.  
  
"What?" Wes asked.  
  
"How is it that a sword from the 3rd Century is conveniently located here in Los Angeles?"  
  
"I don't think it is. I mean, I get the impression that somehow it's accessible from like a hundred points all over the world." Cordy said.  
  
"How's that work?" Connor asked.  
  
"I don't know. I just get the visions, not the Cliff Notes."  
  
"Over there. What's that?" Buffy asked.  
  
Cordelia stopped at a hole in the wall of the tunnel and shined her light inside. "The way down."  
  
"That's a steep grade down there. Going to have to take it a little slow. Watch our steps and stay.." Buffy and Connor shoved their way past and headed down. "Together." Angel sighed and went after them with Cordelia and Wesley following behind. They descended a steep set of stairs made out of the rock. Suddenly Connor popped out of a side passage, startling Cordelia.  
  
"Connor!" Cordy said.  
  
"We found something." Connor said.  
  
They emerged into a large chamber with hundreds of thin leather straps dangling from the ceiling. Attached to each strap was a small bell. Cordelia and Wesley moved forward, shining their lights on the bizarre arrangement.  
  
"Easy.." Angel said, holding Buffy back.  
  
"What are those? Holiday decorations left over from some S&M bondage party?" Cordy asked.  
  
Angel reached out and flicked one of the straps. The bell rang and a set of massive wooden spikes shot out of each wall, slamming together in the middle right where the bell hung. Cordelia stumbled backward with a gasp as the spikes withdrew back into the wall.  
  
"Wood. Why did it have to be wood when I don't have my damn ring?" Angel said.  
  
"We have to pass through the corridor without ringing any of the bells." Wesley said.  
  
Cordy looked down at her breasts. "I knew you two would get me in trouble someday."  
  
Connor and Buffy started forward and the others followed single file, inching their way past each dangling strap, twisting and contorting their bodies to avoid disturbing any of the little bells. Connor was the first to make it through to the other side, then Buffy. They turned back to watch the others just as Wesley shouted to Cordelia.  
  
"Cordelia, freeze! Your sleeve."  
  
He inched his way over to Cordelia and slowly unhooked a snagged strap from Cordelia's coat sleeve. She let out a nervous breath and navigated the final few straps to stand by Connor and Buffy. Wesley steadied his hand, then released the strap from his fingers and shared a look of relief with Angel before moving on. He saw the end approaching and in his eagerness, he knocked his lantern into one of the final straps. The bell jingled loudly.  
  
"Oh fu.." Wesley started.  
  
"Move!" Angel dove into Wesley, pushing them both clear just as dozens of wooden spikes shot out of the walls on either side. After a stunned beat, Cordelia turned down the corridor only to find it went nowhere. It ended in a wall.  
  
"Oh no!" Cordy said.  
  
"It's a dead end." Angel said.  
  
"Who booby-traps a dead end? That's just not right."  
  
Wesley held his lantern up to reveal many of the stones in the wall were inscribed with runic letters. "There's something here."  
  
"Assyrian?" Angel asked.  
  
"Hebrew. Rashi script."  
  
"Can you read it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It's just random letters, one on each stone. Unless.." Wesley reached out and pushed one of the stones with a letter on it. The stone receded into the wall and the wall began to rise.  
  
"This is it! You did.." Cordy was cut off by the wall slamming back down. "You didn't."  
  
"There's a pattern. Hebrew letters have numerical values. Aleph is one. The letter with the next highest numerical value would be.. He, five." Wes found the corresponding stone and pushed it in. Instead of raising the wall, a spike shot out of the stone and impaled Wesley's hand. He ripped it free with an agonized scream.  
  
"What happened?" Angel asked.  
  
"He was wrong." Connor said.  
  
Buffy ripped a strip of cloth from her shirt and bound Wesley's wound. Wesley looked at her gratefully. "I don't know.. I don't know what else.. Nine stones. Yes, that's it. It's not their numerical value. These are the first letters of the nine antediluvian patriarchs in Genesis."  
  
"That would have been my next guess." Cordy said.  
  
"So what which one do we press?" Angel asked.  
  
"Aleph was Adam so, in ascending order, Shin for Seth." Wes pointed. "That one."  
  
Angel stepped over and pressed the indicated stone. Once again, the stone receded and the door rose a foot before slamming back down. "Now what?"  
  
"Kaf for Cainan."  
  
"Which one's Kaf?"  
  
"Maybe that one."  
  
"Maybe?" Buffy asked, getting agitated. "I don't have enough shirt to bandage both of you."  
  
Angel pressed the stone and it receded. The wall rose higher, about three feet this time, and Angel and Connor wedged themselves beneath it, holding it up so the others could duck beneath it.  
  
"Come on!" Angel said. Wesley, Buffy, and Cordelia ran under and Angel looked over at Connor. "Connor, go."  
  
"Both of us." Connor said.  
  
"Now!" They timed their release together and let the wall drop, rolling into the next passageway as the wall slammed down behind them. The tunnel before them split and ran off in two directions. "Which way now?" Angel asked Cordy.  
  
"Don't look at me. I'm not a Thomas Guide." Cordy said.  
  
"We should split up." Wes said.  
  
"Right. Connor, go with Wes and Cordy. Buffy and I will take the one on the left." Angel said.  
  
They nodded and headed off. Buffy was silent most of the way, but then she stopped and looked back at Angel. "I'm sorry about earlier."  
  
"It's ok Buffy."  
  
"No, it's not. I didn't have any right to say that I hated you."  
  
"You did."  
  
"I wish I could take it back, but I don't know if I ever could.." Buffy stopped as she spotted something.  
  
"Could?" Angel asked. He looked at her expectantly but her attention was suddenly drawn by what she saw at the end of the tunnel.  
  
"Whoa."  
  
"Could what? What could you ever.." He followed Buffy into a large circular chamber. It was well lit but there was no visible source of light. A stone pedestal stood in the center of the room.  
  
"This has got to be the place. So where's the sword?" Buffy asked. "Okay, great. It's gone."  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"What maybe? I don't see it. Do you?"  
  
"No. But the light must be coming from somewhere." Angel extended his hand toward the space above the pedestal and it suddenly disappeared into a shimmering energy field.  
  
"Angel.."  
  
"It's some kind of dimensional hub. That's why the sword can be in a hundred places at once. Ah.." He smiled as his hand closed on the sword and he withdrew it from the glowing energy sphere. Buffy's face broke out into a huge smile as Angel waved the sword in front of him. "There. I'd say things are starting to look.." The energy sphere suddenly turned blood red and dropped onto the platform. The cavern around them trembled and pitched violently.  
  
"Umm.. Angel.. can we get out of here now?"  
  
The stone pillars lining the room started to tumble over, slamming to the ground with an ear-splitting crash. Flames sprung up, cutting Angel off from Buffy.  
  
"Buffy!"  
  
"Angel!"  
  
The flames rose higher, seeming to engulf Buffy. All Angel heard was her yelling for him. He desperately looked for a way around the flames.  
  
"Angel!"  
  
"Hang on!"  
  
He leapt into the air and sailed above the fire, landing next to Buffy and pushed her out of the way and into the passageway just as the remaining pillars came crashing down around them. He tackled her to the ground just as a roiling fireball shot through the tunnel over their heads. Buffy coughed and gasped and raised her head to find her face mere inches from Angel's. There was a beat as they shared a meaningful look, then Angel gasped slightly.  
  
"Oh! Are you.." Buffy started.  
  
"No, no, I'm good." Angel said. He sat up with a groan as Buffy checked him for injuries. "I'm good, see?" He pulled the sword out from beneath him and dropped it on the ground. "I missed the pointy end." Buffy smiled at him but her smile turned to tears as she embraced Angel and sobbed into his shoulder. "What? Shh.."  
  
"We could have died." Buffy said.  
  
"But we didn't."  
  
"What if we had? What if we'd been deep-fried trying to save the world again and I.. You almost went away again."  
  
"Shh.. It's going to be all right."  
  
"No! You almost went away. We both did! I can't lose you Angel. Not now, not ever."  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Stop talking."  
  
"Ok."  
  
She leaned into him and they kissed deeply, passionately only to break off when a light shone from around the corner. They looked up to find Connor, Cordy, and Wesley standing there watching.  
  
"Are you guys ok?" Cordy asked.  
  
"We're ok." Angel said.  
  
"Can we get out of here now?" Connor asked.  
  
"Yeah. Yeah we can." 


	47. Awakening part 3

Chapter 47  
  
Angel, leaning heavily on Buffy, walked into the Hyperion with Cordy, and Wesley behind him. Fred was the first to see them.  
  
"Oh my God!"  
  
"I thought you guys might be dead." Xander said.  
  
"Don't stop thinking it yet." Angel said.  
  
"Is that it?" Lorne asked.  
  
"The Sword of the Bosh M'ad." Cordy said.  
  
"Slayer of the Beast." Wesley added.  
  
"Oh.. Can I play with it?" Gunn asked. Angel smiled and tossed it to Gunn who hefted it and waved it around.  
  
"Where's Connor?" Fred asked.  
  
"Patrolling." Buffy said.  
  
"We have the sword. Now all we need.." Wesley was cut off by a loud crash. Everyone looked over to where Gunn had sliced the coffee table in two with the sword. He looked up guiltily. "My bad."  
  
"All we need to do is locate the Beast."  
  
"Well, most of my connections have amscrayed to dimensions a little lighter on the stomping-your-entrails out. All I could Kolchak was a rumor of bad mojo rising down in the warehouse district." Lorne said.  
  
"Then that's where we'll start." Angel said.  
  
"Wait. We found some relevant passages in the Paranych Grimoire which we were able to cross-reference with Wo Pang's.. butt." Fred said.  
  
"Either he's got one hell of a funky mold or we figure there's only one way to kill the Beast." Gunn said.  
  
"How?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Piercing its brain with the Bosh M'ad." Fred said.  
  
"Sounds like a plan to me." Angel said.  
  
"And what about the sun?" Buffy asked.  
  
"One good poke in the coconut should take care of that, too." Gunn said.  
  
"When the Beast is dead, the energy used to block the sun should be released." Fred said.  
  
"There's a catch, isn't there?" Wes asked.  
  
"One small eensy."  
  
"Always with the fine print." Buffy said.  
  
"Took a whole lot of power to pull off permanent midnight." Gunn said.  
  
"Which will all be released when I kill the Beast." Angel said.  
  
"As far as we can figure from the texts, nothing human will survive at that close a range. I'm not even sure that you can." Fred said.  
  
"I'll let you know."  
  
"You're not going to fight this thing by yourself." Buffy said.  
  
"There's no choice."  
  
"There's always a choice."  
  
Angel took the sword from Gunn. "Not for me. I have to do this. You made a difference. Each of you. Not just to me but to the world. We've been pushed to edge so many times, done things we're sure can never be forgiven, but we're always there for each other when it counts. We've never let the darkness win. And it's not because of the Powers That Be or the super strength or the magickal weapons. It's because we believe in each other. Not just as friends or lovers but as champions. All of us. Together." He nodded and headed for the door.  
  
"Angel, wait. You just said it. We're stronger together. You can't do this alone." Buffy said, rushing up to him.  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Drop the Hallmark crap. That might placate the shiny-happies over there but I'm working with a little more investment. I can't lose you. Not now. Not ever."  
  
"Don't worry. I'll be coming back."  
  
"What if you don't?"  
  
"That's not going to happen."  
  
Buffy wiped away a tear. "You don't know that."  
  
"I've never been more sure of anything. I'll come back, Buffy. I promise. For you. But first I've gotta do this. I have to find the Beast and.." Suddenly, the front doors to the hotel shattered and smashed inward. The Beast strode into the lobby and towered over Angel. "Oh. There he is."  
  
"I grow weary of your cowardice, Angelus." The Beast said. "If you will not stand with me, then suffer the agony of my wrath." It noticed the sword. "Is that what I think it is?"  
  
"Go!" Angel yelled. Buffy and Gunn headed towards the weapons cabinet. "No! Get out of here."  
  
"No!" Buffy yelled back.  
  
"All of you. I can't do this with you here."  
  
Wesley pulled Buffy toward the doors as the Beast hurled Angel across the lobby. She tried to go to him but Wesley stopped her.  
  
"No! Angel!" Buffy yelled.  
  
Wesley dragged her out the door as Angel got to his feet, sword at the ready. The Beast held up its hand, a wound sizzling where the sword struck it.  
  
"That stings." The Beast said.  
  
"Not as much as it's going to." Angel said.  
  
"We could rule this world. Why do you oppose me?"  
  
"Rain of fire, blocking out the sun.. And you just kinda piss me off." Angel attacked again, but the Beast blocked Angel's blows with the sword. It seized the sword mid-swing and held it motionless while Angel struggled to pull it free.  
  
"It doesn't have to be this way, Angelus."  
  
"I'm thinking it does." Angel ripped it free of the Beast's grasp and sliced it across the creature's abdomen. The Beast groaned in pain and dropped to its knees. Angel raised the sword and brought it down but the Beast seized it again. Angel put all his weight into it as the Beast twisted with all its strength. It was a struggle of two titans. Then finally the sword itself shattered. Angel looked at the broken blade in stunned horror as the Beast seized him by the throat and lifted him off the floor, gasping and choking in pain.  
  
"Did you really think you'd win?" The Beast asked. Suddenly an axe came down on the Beast's arm and it dropped Angel to the floor. The Beast turned to find Connor squaring off to attack. "The boy joins the father in death."  
  
"No. In kicking your stony ass." Connor said.  
  
The Beast threw a punch but Connor ducked it and slammed the axe into its chest. He landed blow after blow, ducking every one of the Beast's punches. On the floor, Angel reached for the broken sword blade. The Beast grabbed Connor's axe and used it to flip him to the floor and kick him into the reception counter.  
  
"Such arrogance. So much like Angelus."  
  
Connor pushed himself up with a gasp of pain and smiled. "His name is Angel." The Beast turned around and Angel slammed the sword blade up through its chin and out the top of its head. Angel smiled. "Consider your ass kicked." He ran across the lobby and took cover as Connor shielded himself from the Beast's destruction. Its face glowed a bloody red and then its whole body erupted in an explosion of energy. Then it was gone. The only thing left was a smoking pile of dust on the floor. Outside, the dark pall covering the sun disappeared and the light blazed forth once again. Connor got up and helped Angel to his feet.  
  
"Dad.." Connor said.  
  
"You came back." Angel said.  
  
"Like I'd let you take all the credit for saving the world?"  
  
"Just like your mother."  
  
"Speaking of." Connor looked up just as Buffy burst through the doors.  
  
"Connor! Oh! Angel!" Buffy flew into Angel's arms. "You did it!"  
  
"We did it. All of us." Angel said. "Now could one of you do me a favor and sweep that up?"  
  
  
  
Later that day, Angel stood upstairs staring out the window at the people on the street who were staring at the sun in awe. Buffy walked in silently, but Angel knew she was there. She walked up right behind him and looked out the window.  
  
"It's hard, seeing everyone so happy because of what you did. Bringing the light back." Buffy said.  
  
Angel let the curtain fall as he turned around to look at her. She was gorgeous. Her hair was loose over her shoulders and she hadn't dried it, so it was in loose curls. She had a slight touch of makeup on that only accentuated her beauty and her clothes were form fitting, hugging her curves in all the right places. He smiled at her. "There's no place I'd rather be.. than here with you." He looked deep into her eyes. She leaned forward and kissed him softly, then more urgently. He suddenly seemed worried and pulled back slightly. "Buffy.."  
  
"No. Whatever it is. Whatever the reason or excuse or logic, we're here. Now. Together. Everything is the way it's supposed to be. For once. Angel.. Haven't we been through enough?"  
  
They kissed again, their passion mounting. Buffy unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders as he slid her shirt over her head and kissed her neck. Their hands worked each other's belts and soon they were only in their underwear. They quickly rid themselves of their underwear and Buffy jumped up onto Angel's waist. It was slow and intense, just like their first time together, as they worked their way over to the bed. Angel pushed her down on the bed and lowered himself down on top of her. Buffy closed her eyes as Angel made love to her, sighing with pleasure. As their passion mounted and their climax approached, Angel's eyes suddenly snapped open in shock and he rolled off Buffy and looked around fearfully.  
  
"Buffy.. Oh God.. No!"  
  
"Angel?" Buffy sat up, not bothering to cover herself. "What's.. Oh God, the shaman put the loophole back in!"  
  
"Buffy.." Angel closed his eyes tightly, fighting it at first, but when he opened them again he was lying strapped to the table inside the steel cage in the basement. Wo Pang stood over him, clothed in his ceremonial robes.  
  
"Illusion becomes reality." Wo Pang said. He turned and looked at Buffy. "It is done."  
  
A small smile played across Angel's face and he turned his head to look out at Buffy and the others. Buffy looked into his eyes and knew. "Angelus.." Gunn moved over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder protectively. Fred moved to her other side and held her hand. On the table behind them, Angel's soul glowed a milky white inside the glass receptacle. As Angelus watched them from inside the cage, his smile became a chuckle, then a malicious laugh.  
  
"Come on." Gunn said. He and Fred led Buffy upstairs. Connor and the others trailed behind them. A few minutes later, Wesley and Wo Pang came up.  
  
"How did he get out?" Cordy asked.  
  
"He unstrapped Angel and then teleported." Wesley said. He turned to the shaman. "Thank you." The shaman nodded and then disappeared.  
  
Buffy wiped away her tears and then headed towards the basement door. Connor ran after her. "Mom, where are you going?"  
  
"To get Angel's soul. We need to put it somewhere safe." Buffy said as she kept walking. "Just stay here." She disappeared through the door. Walking down the steps slowly, Buffy knew Angelus had quit laughing and gotten off the table. He stared at her as she walked over to the table and picked up his soul.  
  
"Why Miss Summers, you are beautiful." Angelus said behind her. "Oh, wait.. It's Missus. now isn't it? And I'm Mister. Isn't this just.. Neat?" Buffy ignored him and started up the stairs with the jar in her hands. "Come on, Buff! Don't play like that! We had so much fun last time I was around." She just kept walking and headed right out the door. "Well, that was just rude. MY wife just walking out and not saying a word to me? Fine!" Angelus yelled. "I can entertain myself." He walked over to the wall behind him and sat down, singing to himself. 


	48. Soulless part 1

A/N Remember Joyce's warning to Dawn about Buffy? That she won't be on Dawn's side when things get bad. Well kiddies, things are bad. I mean, hello! Angelus. We all know he's getting out and this story line is going to get very interesting in my twisted little head. Enjoy! PS I'm using a line from Cruel Intentions. I couldn't resist the line. It fits perfectly with Buffy and Angelus.  
  
  
  
Chapter 48  
  
Buffy walked back upstairs, holding tightly to the jar containing Angel's soul. Cordy walked over to her. "Hey Buffy."  
  
Buffy smiled. "Hi."  
  
"How are you?"  
  
"I'll be ok."  
  
"We heard him talking to you over the monitor. You know it's not him. Don't let it get to you."  
  
"I'm not. He knows that he can't get to me. Doesn't mean he won't try though. I spent all those months fighting Angelus, getting to know his tactics, and I was finally able to kill him. But now.. I'm more in love with Angel than I ever was and I don't know if I can kill Angelus if I have to."  
  
"That's why you have us." Gunn said.  
  
"We won't let anything happen to you Buffy." Fred said, hugging her.  
  
"I know. You guys are the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for." Buffy said. She looked down at Angel's soul. "Can we put this somewhere that's safe? Somewhere Angelus won't be able to get to?"  
  
"We'll put it in the office safe." Wesley said.  
  
"Good."  
  
"Want me to take it?" Cordy asked.  
  
Buffy looked down at the soul again. "Yeah." She lifted the jar so it was eye level. "I love you." Buffy kissed the jar lightly and handed it to Cordelia. "Be careful."  
  
"You know I will."  
  
"I'm going to be upstairs."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"We'll be here if you need us." Fred said.  
  
"I know." Buffy walked upstairs and into her and Angel's room. She picked up a piece of paper and a pen and walked out onto the little balcony. Moving the big chair in front of the French doors, Buffy sat down and started to write.  
  
My Beloved Angel,  
  
As I write this, our friends are putting your soul in the wall safe in your office. I suddenly feel dead inside knowing that your soul is not where it should be. Right now I'm sitting on our balcony staring at the night sky that should be filled with the sun's rays. The darkness is fine with me. I've always been a part of it, just like you. If only you had known that when you left me all those years ago. But it's all different now. My number one enemy is pacing the basement right now. I know he's not going to talk about the Beast and what he knows, so I have a plan. It's not really a very good idea. If it hurts you, I'm sorry. I love you more than anything I've ever known. You made a sacrifice today for the world and now it's my turn (again). I know the others, all of them, will try to talk me out of it, but it has to be done. The camera will be turned off and the door to the basement will be locked and barricaded. If this works, then I will have you back for good. If not, then may heaven and the Powers have mercy on me and the world. Ok, I'll get to the plan. I'm going to offer myself to Angelus in exchange for information. Please don't hate me for it. It's all in the name of saving the world (again). Hey, if this works then I won't have to get near him like that. If not, well, like I said I'm sorry. I belong to you and only you. I always have. I love you Angel, my light, my hope. I have to go now. It's time for me to face my fears. I'm going to conquer them and be forever at peace with myself.  
  
Always yours,  
  
Buffy  
  
Buffy folded the letter and placed it under Angel's pillow on the bed. She was just about to start moving the chair back in when Connor burst through the door.  
  
"Mom! We have a problem!"  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Angelus has Fred. He's choking her."  
  
"Oh God."  
  
Buffy and Connor ran down to the lobby. Wes was heading towards the basement with a tranquilizer gun. Cordy, Lorne, and Xander were grabbing weapons. Buffy looked over at the monitor and saw that Gunn was pulling at Angelus' arm to no avail. Fred was trapped against the bars.  
  
"Wes stop!" Buffy yelled. "I got it."  
  
"Buffy.." Wesley started.  
  
"I got it. Back me up with that thing though."  
  
"Fred!" Gunn yelled as Buffy, Connor, and Wesley ran down the stairs. "Let her go!"  
  
"But she's so cute!" Angelus said.  
  
"Let her go." Buffy said, standing on the stairs.  
  
"Buff! Great of you to come talk to me finally! I was getting bored with old Wes there."  
  
"I said let her go."  
  
"What do I get in return?"  
  
"You get to live."  
  
"I'm thinking no."  
  
Buffy walked calmly down the steps and right up to the cage. "You get me for ten minutes in the cage with you."  
  
"Buffy, no." Wesley said.  
  
"No wonder I married you." Angelus said, letting Fred go. She stumbled over to Gunn and he hugged her to him. "Don't worry Gunn. She's not my type anyway."  
  
"Go to hell." Gunn said.  
  
"Already did. Thank you honey." Angelus said, looking at Buffy.  
  
"Wesley, give me the keys." Buffy said.  
  
"No." Wesley said.  
  
"Do it Wes. I can take him."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"Do you want a weapon? Or someone to stay down here and watch your back?"  
  
"I'll call when I'm ready to come out."  
  
"What are you doing?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Get out of here."  
  
"I'm not leaving you here alone with this thing."  
  
"You don't have a choice. Get out. All of you."  
  
"Mom.." Connor said.  
  
"Just do it Connor." Buffy turned to look at him. "I'll be fine. I've done this before."  
  
"Back when you were my age which was five years ago."  
  
"I'm stronger now than I was back then." She kissed his forehead. "Now go."  
  
Connor stared at her a moment and then helped Gunn help Fred up the stairs. Wesley looked at her, keys in hand. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive."  
  
"I've already talked to him, he won't say anything about the Beast."  
  
"I'll get him to talk to you."  
  
He handed her the keys. "We'll be watching." Wes walked out the door. Buffy followed him up and then locked the door. She walked back down and looked at Angelus.  
  
"Alone at last." He said. Angelus watched her as she unplugged the camera. "Oh, is this a congical visit? I don't know if ten minutes will be enough."  
  
"Stand back. You come anywhere near the door while I'm unlocking it, I'll kill you." Buffy said, moving to undo the locks.  
  
"With what?"  
  
"My hands."  
  
"Oh.. I know real well what you can do with your hands."  
  
"Shut up and move against the wall."  
  
He did as she said and leaned against the wall. "Do I get strip searched now?"  
  
Buffy didn't answer. She undid the locks and stepped into the cage. Angelus watched her the whole time, knowing her strength and knowing full well not to test her. She redid the locks and stuck the keys in her back pocket.  
  
"How do you know I won't go after those?" Angelus asked.  
  
Buffy turned to him. "Because you know my strength. You know that I could turn that table into about 100 stakes and you'd be dust before the keys hit the floor." She walked over to the table and jumped up. "So, are you going to talk about the Beast or are we going to play ring around the twenty questions?"  
  
"I thought we could chat it up. Last time I saw you we were fighting to the death."  
  
"And who was winning that one?"  
  
Angelus ignored the question and looked over her body. She rolled her eyes and let him take his time. Buffy knew his games already and knew that he was just stalling. "I really love how much you've filled out Buff. Nice rack. It's amazing that you just got hotter after you became a mom.. To my son."  
  
"To Angel's son. You're not Connor's father. He knows it too, so don't even try and hit him below the belt like that."  
  
"I don't think he'll even talk to me. Why's that?"  
  
"Because I won't let him. I know you. I know what you can do.."  
  
"That's the thing Buff, you're so damn high and mighty. You think you know everything, but you don't."  
  
"I never said I knew everything."  
  
"You don't have to say it." Angelus moved in front of her, but Buffy didn't even flinch. "I just know because your precious Angel thinks it."  
  
"You're a liar."  
  
"Geez Buff! I'm in here all the time." Angelus said, pointing to his head. "I know exactly what he's thinking every hour of the day. You wanna know what he was thinking earlier while you two were fighting? He thought 'Damn, will she just get over herself and let me do this?'"  
  
Buffy stared at him and laughed. "You're full of yourself. You just like the sound of your voice. Well guess what Angelus. You're nothing. You're pawn scum that wears my husband's face. All you are is a pitiful demon with testosterone problems. Always have been."  
  
"Are you sure you were in heaven?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Because I can't imagine anyone like you would go to heaven. All the things you've ever done. Running away, using Riley, letting Dracula bite you, letting ME bite you, trying to kill Faith, allowing your mom to die, letting Spike touch you the way he did.. Which, by the way, I'll have to pay him a visit one of these days. You're mine and he knows it."  
  
"I'm not yours. I'm Angel's. You just happen to have the same face."  
  
"I just can't imagine what the Powers were thinking letting you go to heaven. Did you see your mom?"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"Make me." Angelus closed the last couple of feet and stood towering over Buffy. This time she did flinch and she shoved him back. He laughed and put his hands behind his back casually. "So, what else is new with you Buff?"  
  
"It's time for you to shut your big mouth and listen for once." Buffy stood up off the table and walked to the center of the cage. Angelus stayed leaning against the bars. "You're going to tell us everything you know about the Beast. One lie about any of it, you don't get the reward. I got tired of your games five years ago. This is your final shot Angelus."  
  
"And what do I get out of this deal?"  
  
"You get me. Any way you want me. Front, back, hell.. Even the mouth. If you just tell us everything you know about the Beast."  
  
"What makes you think I'll take that deal?"  
  
"Because I'm the one person you can't have and it kills you."  
  
"There are other Slayers in the sea. There's Faith and then we have those lovely little potentials. Kennedy could be fun. I've seen the way she looks at Willow. Something tells me that she's not swinging with a straight bat."  
  
"Come on! We're not talking about Slayers here." Buffy moved forward and stood coolly as she watched Angelus' expression. "It irks you that you can't touch me. You tried once to break me and found out that it's not so easy. You're furious because I was the one that made you FEEL and it crawled under your skin until you couldn't take it anymore and you tried to destroy the world just to get rid of little old me. But I was there to stop that too. Face it Angelus, there's no way that you could pass up this deal and you know it."  
  
A pounding on the door stopped Angelus from answering. "Buffy! Are you ok? The door's locked and the camera's out." Wesley called.  
  
"I'm fine Wes! Don't worry!"  
  
"Is he talking yet?"  
  
"Almost. Be up in a minute."  
  
"All right." She turned back to Angelus who was standing right behind her. She moved closer and got in his face. "So, what do you say lover?" Angelus growled deep in his chest as he looked at her with lustful eyes as she pressed against him. "I'll take that as a yes." She turned on her heel and walked to the door. Without turning, Buffy held out her hand. "Keys." Angelus rolled his eyes and put the keys in her hand. "Thank you." As she started to undo the locks, Angelus moved in and grabbed her waist, pulling her to him. He turned her to him and crushed her lips in a kiss that would have smothered a normal human. Buffy gave into it for a moment, but then shoved him back. "Only a taste." She darted out of the cage and secured the locks as he watched her with a predator's eyes. Keeping her cool, Buffy plugged the camera back in, walked up the stairs, and unlocked the door. "I'm sending Wes down to talk to you. Tell him everything you know." With that she was gone.  
  
Connor waited on the settee for her. "What happened mom? Why was the door locked?"  
  
"I didn't want anyone coming down there and ruining it. Wesley." Buffy called. The ex-Watcher came out of the office. "He's ready to talk."  
  
"What did you do?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Nothing you guys need to concern yourself with."  
  
"That's not a good answer." Xander said.  
  
"Good enough for you. Wes go down there before he changes his mind."  
  
"Something tells me that won't be happening anytime soon."  
  
"I'd watch what I was saying if I were you."  
  
"Well, you're not me. Thank God."  
  
"What is your problem?"  
  
"Buffy, I know you. I saw what losing Angel did to you the first time. I'm willing to bet that there aren't many limits holding you back this time."  
  
"Shut up Xander." Cordy said.  
  
"No! You didn't see her after we brought her back Cordy. She's not the same Buffy she once was. This Buffy shuts herself off at the drop of a hat and I'm pretty damn sure that putting Angel's soul in a jar was the last hat."  
  
"Well, we wouldn't have this problem if you had just left me in my grave!" Buffy said. "I don't know who you're trying to fool Xander Harris, but I see right through this grown up act that you've put on. That whole thing with Anya.. That was a great way to try and show that you grew up. But you know what? I saw right through you. You've never gotten it. You don't understand that when it comes to things like this, I am the law. I told you once, but it didn't get through that thick skull of yours."  
  
"Guys, calm down!" Fred said.  
  
"You're not the law Buffy!" Xander said. "You're not SANE enough to be the law."  
  
"I'm not sane enough? Well, I guess I can blame that on Sunnydale. What don't you get Xander? I'm the Slayer. I don't get to make good choices."  
  
"I don't get why you're prepared to sell yourself to your enemy when the guy you love is just a shaman away."  
  
"I'm thinking of how to save the world, just like Angel did when he turned his soul over to that jar! I don't get to listen to what my heart is saying. I know it's wrong! I know it's dangerous! My heart is screaming at me to NOT do this, but I have to. You think Angelus would have talked otherwise?"  
  
"We would have found another way to make him talk."  
  
"I'm through with this discussion. It's done. Get over it." Buffy walked into the office and slammed the door. She closed the curtains on the window and sat in the chair behind the desk. Closing her eyes, Buffy put her face in her hands and then moved her hands back to push her hair out of her face and rest on the back of her neck. After a minute of calming breaths, Buffy sat back and started to go through a couple of files she had on Angelus. 15 minutes passed before her eyes got blurry with tears of frustration and fear. She sighed and went to the water fountain in the office. A light knock on the door echoed in the silent office. "Go away!"  
  
"It's me mom." Connor said.  
  
"What do you want Connor?"  
  
Connor opened the door and walked in, shutting it behind him. "What did you do down there to get him to talk?"  
  
"Connor.."  
  
"Please don't tell me I'm too young, or it's none of my business. Mom, that's the demon that wears my dad's face down there. If you just put yourself in danger, I think I have the RIGHT to know. I love you mom and I don't think I could stand it if Angelus did something horrible to you."  
  
Buffy stared at her son for a long moment. She brushed a strand of dark blonde hair that had moved over his eye. He stared at her with those intent eyes that he got from Angel. With a deep sigh, she went back to the chair behind the desk and plopped down exhaustedly. "Sit down." Connor did as he was told. Buffy stared at him for a minute, taking in all the features that definitely came from Angel. Then she saw the things that came from her. His hair, his eyes, his smile, his warrior confidence that everyone said oozed out of her in battle.. All that came from Buffy. It wasn't the longest list in history, but she was the proudest mother ever. She wished her mother could be here. Joyce would be so proud of the way Connor turned out.  
  
"Mom?"  
  
Buffy blinked. "Sorry."  
  
"You ok?"  
  
"Yeah, just admiring my son." Connor smiled and Buffy could have sworn she saw him blush a little. "So, you wanted to know what I did to make Angelus talk?" He nodded. "Well, you pretty much know the whole story of when I first met Angelus. What you don't know is the back-story of it all."  
  
"Back story?"  
  
"Angelus tried so hard for months to try and break me, make me insane like Drusilla, but it didn't work. It got under his skin and pissed him off. That's the reason he tried to send the world to hell, destroy it with Acathla. He couldn't take it anymore. It really annoyed him that he couldn't touch me."  
  
"What's this got to do with how you made him talk?"  
  
"I played on that annoyance."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I offered myself to him. I told him that if he told us everything he knew about the Beast, I would let him have me."  
  
"Mom, that's.."  
  
"Dangerous? Insane? Stupid? Go on and tell me, just like Xander did. I already know all of this Connor."  
  
"Well, it's all of the above and more. But I was actually going to say smart."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah! No one knows Angelus like you do.. Well, no one alive that is. You knew the one thing that would get him to talk and even if it was degrading to you, you offered anyway. I understand the whole champion thing now. Doing things that are the best for YOU, but it's best for the world. Well, as long as you don't screw him, I'll be ok with it."  
  
"That was actually part of my plan."  
  
Connor scrunched his face up. "Screwing him?"  
  
"No! NOT screwing him."  
  
"Oh! You make him tell everything he knows and then restore dad's soul so you won't have to look at Angelus ever again."  
  
Buffy smiled. "Exactly."  
  
"So, do you wanna come here what he's got to say about the Beast? Wesley is going down there now."  
  
(More to come once I get the transcript for the eppy. Yeah, I winged this chapter! Go me!) 


	49. Soulless part 2

Chapter 49  
  
Wesley sat in his chair in front of Angelus' cage. Buffy had decided to go down with him to make sure Angelus kept to his word. She sat on the staircase banister staring at Angelus. He barely regarded Wesley as he stared right back at her.  
  
"So, shall we start from the beginning?" Wesley asked. Without taking his eyes off Buffy, Angelus said, "Why not?"  
  
"A year."  
  
"1789."  
  
"So you were in Prussia."  
  
This time Angelus did look at Wesley. "You have been doing your homework. Those Prussian girls.. Must be the pastries. Worth the trip." He looked back at Buffy. "All that sweetness gets into their blood."  
  
"Very interesting. At some point the Beast will appear?"  
  
"Patience, Wes. I was taking a shortcut on my way to Vienna. Started feeling like someone was.. Watching me. There were troops around. I had run into them now and then. Not as sweet as the girls, by the way. But the little massacre I ran into: seriously lacking in military precision. Bodies, bodies everywhere and not a drop to drink. And so I followed the trail and there was your friend, the one you so cleverly call the Beast. We had a lot in common. But he already knew that. He'd been watching me. He staged the carnage to impress me."  
  
"So he sought you out. Why?"  
  
"Girl trouble. Thought I might be able to help him with a situation."  
  
"How?"  
  
"You've heard of the Svea Priestesses? Very powerful. Big into banishing. The Beast was next on their list. He couldn't touch them. Some kind of mojo. But a vampire could."  
  
"So he wanted you to kill them."  
  
"We had it all worked out. I'd scratch his priestesses and he'd scratch my back somewhere down the line.. A limited partnership."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I declined. He didn't ask twice. I probably could have been more diplomatic with my refusal but I'm not big with teamwork. Thought that was going to be the end of me but, like I said, girl trouble. So they just started up the whammy and.. There you have it."  
  
"The Beast was banished. How?"  
  
"Don't know. I was busy with the passing out."  
  
"Is that everything you know?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"You're lying."  
  
"He's not." Buffy said.  
  
"How do you know?" Buffy just stared back at Wesley. He nodded. "Yes well, time for research then."  
  
"Go ahead. I'm not good in the book area. Just the slaying."  
  
"What are you going to do?"  
  
"Connor and I'll patrol. LA's a big demon circus out there what with no sun and all. I'm sure Faith's upset that I'm getting all the action up here."  
  
Wesley patted Buffy's shoulder and walked upstairs. She watched him go and then turned back to Angelus when he clucked his tongue at her. "Shame on you Buff. Fooling your friends like that."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Buffy said, standing up and walking up to the red line that was the end of the safety zone.  
  
"Pretending that you're so innocent in all this. I see right through it though. Why don't you just drop the façade right now and give into your dark side? I'm right here."  
  
"I'm not fooling anyone. I'm not pretending. They all know what I've been through and they know it's hard for me."  
  
"Except, they don't see what it's done to you on the inside. It's dirtied up your soul. Are you sure you still have one?"  
  
"I still have one. Part of it's with yours in that jar."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Keep convincing yourself Buff. Eventually you'll get it right. And when you do? I'll be here. I'll ALWAYS be here. Always." Angelus started to laugh as Buffy walked up the stairs and into the lobby.  
  
She walked over to the weapons cabinet and started loading down on stakes. Connor came over and started to do the same. They each strapped a spring loaded stake to their wrists and then headed out. Quietly, Buffy and Connor walked down the streets stalking their prey. They didn't have to go very far though. Three vamps attacked them near a newspaper stand.  
  
A stack of newspapers stood behind Buffy. The headline read: Crime Wave Shuts Down City. Buffy snatched the top bundle off the top and threw it to Connor. He swung the newspapers like a brick, decking the first of the three vampires attacking them. The other two charged Buffy, one punching while the other one swung her around by the arms and into a group of high pressure gas cylinders. Buffy ripped the nozzle off one of the cylinders, sending a blast of high-pressure gas into the faces of the attacking vampires. They screamed in pain and staggered backward. Buffy pressed the advantage, kicking one to the ground and decking the second. The third vampire slammed Connor into Buffy and sent them flying into the wall of a nearby guard booth, stunning them long enough for the other two to grab them by the arms and immobilize them.  
  
"Let me guess. Out-of-towners?" Buffy asked sweetly.  
  
"Yeah. Tucson." Vamp one said.  
  
The vamp smiled and moved in for the kill but Connor kicked him hard in the face. As he went down, Buffy and Connor broke free from the other two. Buffy triggered her spring-loaded stake on her wrist and quickly killed one of the vampires as the other one got to his feet and charged. Connor leapt onto the roof of the guard booth at the last instant. The vampire's momentum carried him headfirst through the booth's glass window, shattering it. The creature slid back out of the booth onto the ground, stunned. Buffy back-flipped over away from her vamp and slammed her stake home, leaving nothing but dust. The last vampire charged Buffy with an enraged snarl and knocked her stake free. Connor jumped down off the roof and beat him back with a rapid flurry of punches, then lifted him up and hurled him 20 feet into the air where he slammed into a billboard and dropped to the ground. Connor picked the stake up off the ground and smiled cruelly at the vampire as it got to its feet.  
  
"Welcome to LA." Connor said. He threw the stake and embedded it in the vamp's chest. It turned to dust.  
  
Buffy came up behind him, shaking her head. "Tourists."  
  
Connor turned to look at her, but instead saw five more vamps walking up. "Mom."  
  
Buffy turned to look. "You'd think they'd go to Disneyland or on a tour of Universal instead of bothering us."  
  
Connor chuckled and they jumped into action. Two hours later they were headed back to the Hyperion. Both of them were bruised and bloodied. The gang was in the office researching, so they didn't hear Buffy and Connor walk in. They slipped up to their rooms and changed their torn clothes. Buffy swept her long blonde hair up into a French twist and slipped on a pair of black leather boots. Connor met her at the elevator and they rode down.  
  
"Buffy! Connor! When did you guys get back? We didn't hear you come in." Cordy said.  
  
"Just now." Buffy said.  
  
"What've we got?" Connor asked. Buffy smiled at him, proud that he was taking some initiative in the group.  
  
"The priestesses live in Pacoima." Cordy said.  
  
"Let's go." Buffy said. "Connor, Wesley, you're coming. The rest of you stay here and watch Angelus. Maybe do some more research on the Beast if you can. Oh and Xander?"  
  
"Yeah?" Xander asked, looking up from the computer.  
  
"Call Sunnydale and see if everything is ok."  
  
"You got it."  
  
Buffy, Connor, and Wesley headed out. They took Wesley's SUV to the house which was in a nice little residential area. They headed up the front walk and up to the door. A small sign next to the door read: Svear Mon.-Fri. 11am-4pm. Wes rang the bell, but no one answered.  
  
"Looks like no one's home." Connor said.  
  
Wesley knocked loud on the door. When no one answered, he reached down and tried the knob. The door swung open. "It's open." They walked over the threshold. "Hello? Anyone home? Hello?"  
  
"Nordic priestesses?" Buffy called.  
  
All three spread out and looked around. Connor saw a set of family pictures on the mantle showing a husband, wife, and their children. "So the mom's a priestess?" he asked.  
  
"I think all the women in the family are from what Wes told me." Buffy said. She looked through some bills on a table and then sniffed the air. "What is that?" She looked into the living room and stared in shock. Wesley and Connor saw her expression and followed her gaze. The entire family had been slaughtered, parents and children alike. They lied strewn about the living room. Their clothes were smeared with gore.  
  
"We're too late. Again." Wesley said.  
  
"How does the Beast know exactly what we're going to do? It's like he's psychic." Buffy said.  
  
"Maybe he is."  
  
"Or he's been watching us at the hotel." Connor said.  
  
"Angelus could have sent him a message. Some kind of demon Morse code." Buffy said. Wesley checked the body of the little boy. "No, these people have been dead for a few days. Angelus had nothing to do with this."  
  
"Which means by the time the shaman was going all chanty on Angel, it was already too late."  
  
"You mean they've been here like this.. For days?" Connor asked.  
  
"With the chaos outside, probably no one even noticed they were gone." Wes said.  
  
Buffy shook her head sadly. "We should have seen this coming."  
  
"Of course the Beast would go after the priestesses. Let's have a look around, see if there's anything useful. Then we should call the police." Wesley stepped over to a desk and picked up a narrow piece of parchment. "A banishment incantation. At least, I think it is."  
  
"Then they were trying to get rid of the Beast."  
  
"It seems so."  
  
Connor was unusually affected by the sight of the bodies in front of him. He looked away, into the kitchen, and noticed a calendar hanging on the wall beside him with "Daddy's birthday" marked on it. It suddenly became too much for him and he bolted for the door.  
  
"Connor!" Buffy called, running after him.  
  
Connor ran down to the street and leaned over into the bushes. He vomited, then kneeled there, heaving and gasping. Buffy followed him out, then sat down beside him when she saw what happened.  
  
"Connor?" He didn't answer. She sighed and looked up. "The sun should be up. It's different, isn't it? Dead demons are just a big blob of oozing mess. Vampires turn into dust like they were never anything at all. But humans.. It's different. Harder to understand."  
  
"That's not.." Connor said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The family.."  
  
Before he could say anything else, a vampire leapt from the shadows and attacked. Connor and Buffy were instantly on their feet, beating the creature to the ground. Behind Connor, a second vampire landed in front of Buffy and punched her to the ground. Buffy spun and staked it. Connor beat his vampire back with a rapid flurry of blows, then lifted it up and hurled it into the street. It looked up just as an SUV slammed into it at full speed. The car screeched to a halt with Wesley driving and Buffy and Connor jumped in. Buffy looked behind them and saw three more vampires closing in.  
  
"Come on!" Buffy said.  
  
Wesley punched the gas and the car shot off down the street. They sped through the dark LA streets and headed towards the hotel. Once there, the three dashed inside.  
  
"What happened?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Vamps." Connor said.  
  
"They didn't get the Svear?" Fred asked.  
  
"No. The Beast did. Slaughtered the entire family." Wes said.  
  
"Guess he found a way to kill them after all." Xander said.  
  
"So much for our big priestess rescue." Gunn said.  
  
"Are we sure Angelus doesn't know anything more? I mean, maybe we should talk to.." Fred asked.  
  
"No. I think he's told us everything he's going to." Wes said.  
  
"Which means our last-ditch plan, turning Angel into a soulless monster, it's a bust. If Angelus can't help us.." Gunn said.  
  
"It's time to bring back Angel." Buffy said.  
  
"We'll need the shaman." Wesley said, heading towards the phone.  
  
As everyone went about their business, Buffy slipped down to the basement. Angelus detached himself from the shadows and looked at her. "Here I thought you'd be halfway to Georgia by now."  
  
"I told you I'd be back. I'm back." Buffy said.  
  
"How'd the little field trip turn out? Priestesses still feisty?"  
  
"We found a little boy, his sister, mom, dad, grandma.. All dead."  
  
"Oh, God. I'm always missing the fun stuff."  
  
"The Beast butchered them."  
  
"So? Did you bring me back a souvenir? Maybe a stray baby toe?" Buffy stared at him. "Come on, Buffy! Where's your sense of humor?"  
  
"Guess I lost it."  
  
"Well, don't blame me for your little debacle. I told you everything I know."  
  
"I know, but it's too late."  
  
"And whose fault is that? Doesn't matter. I showed you mine. Now it's time to show me yours.. Again."  
  
"The deal was, you give us information, we save the world, you get me. Well.. World not saved."  
  
"You know I'm just going to let this go."  
  
"I know. But I'm not seeing a whole lot of other options.. With the big steel cage and all."  
  
"Won't be in here forever."  
  
"About another hour actually. Forgot to tell you the best part. We're putting your soul back."  
  
Angelus chuckled. "Not gonna happen."  
  
"Oh, but it is. Just in time for the primo apocalypse that's coming. Too bad. I know how you love those."  
  
"Been looking forward to it all day. Still am."  
  
"Thing is, you're never coming back. Angel and I are going to make sure of that."  
  
"We'll see."  
  
Buffy stepped closer to the cage. "I told you Angelus, you're nobody. Just a disease. And Angel can't wait to be rid of you."  
  
Angelus looked her up and down lasciviously. "I think I'll start with the twins. I just love a woman with nice ripe thighs." His arm shot through the steel bars, his fingers a mere inch from Buffy's throat. She just stared impassively at him, not so much as a flinch.  
  
She smiled cruelly at him. "Not even close."  
  
Angelus' calm façade cracked for the first time as Buffy turned and headed for the stairs. "The more you piss me off, the longer I'll keep you alive. And I know you're a screamer."  
  
Buffy walked back upstairs and headed into the office. "Okay, let's.." She broke off when she realized they are all staring at her. "What?"  
  
"Angel's soul.. It's gone." Fred said.  
  
Buffy stared wide-eyed at the empty safe. Everyone stared at her as tears welled in her eyes. "You guys didn't let him out did you?"  
  
"Of course not!"  
  
"Then where the hell is it?"  
  
"We don't know!" Xander said.  
  
Buffy stared at the safe again in shock. She would have fallen to the floor if Gunn hadn't caught her. He carried her over to the couch where she curled up in a ball in the corner and started to rock herself as tears fell down her cheeks.  
  
"What're we going to do?" Fred asked.  
  
They all stared at the broken Slayer on the couch. With Angelus here to stay for longer than any of them had planned and Buffy out of commission for the moment, things looked almost hopeless. 


	50. The Killer In Me part 1

Chapter 50  
  
Faith sat with Dawn in the living room talking about Buffy's last call home. She had sounded really strange and Faith was planning on going up there to check on her. Giles scurried into the living room.  
  
"Are you sure you'll all be all right?" Giles asked.  
  
"You'll only be gone for two days." Dawn said.  
  
"I think we've managed a bit longer than that." Faith said quietly.  
  
"Right." Giles looked around nervously and then stopped. "Oh, Dawn, Vi's left her notebook on the mantelpiece. Would you mind running it out to the car?"  
  
"Sure." Dawn got up and got the notebook.  
  
"While you're at it, you smack her in the head with it and remind her not to leave it lying around."  
  
"On it." Dawn said, walking out the door.  
  
"I'm just a bit twitchy about leaving you alone here while.. While things are in such a state of flux. What with Buffy and Angel in LA." Giles said, sitting on the coffee table in front of Faith.  
  
"I know. But you should go. This trip is important for the girls to understand the source of their power, and to know how to use it right." Faith said.  
  
"Do you think they appreciate the gravity of what we're undertaking? It's frightening, and it's difficult. And then, apparently, someone told them that the vision quest consists of me driving them to the desert, doing the hokey pokey until a spooky Rasta-mama slayer arrives and speaks to them in riddles."  
  
"That's not exactly how Buffy put it, she.." Faith was interrupted by Willow coming down stairs and entering the room. "Hey, how's Kennedy?"  
  
"Still fluey." Willow said. She looked at Giles. "Bummed about missing the field trip. She says she wants you to meditate extra hard for her and to bring her back some smores."  
  
"Ah yes. Smores. I'm going to end up singing campfire songs aren't I?" Giles asked. Faith smiled. "Oh yeah."  
  
"Giles, you might want to get out there." Dawn said, coming back in.  
  
"Oh God, what?" Giles asked.  
  
"Molly and Rona are fighting over who gets to drive the first leg."  
  
"Bet you wish you renewed that California State driver's license now, huh?" Faith asked.  
  
"Rona won." Anya said, walking in. "You should probably let Molly out of the trunk." A car horn blew outside and Anya walked to the kitchen with Willow. "I never actually realized just how compact Molly really is."  
  
"Please be safe while I'm away." Giles said to Faith.  
  
"You too." Faith said.  
  
"If Buffy calls, come get me immediately. With LA now in permanent darkness, she may need a lot more help than she lets on."  
  
"I know. I might head up there later."  
  
"Good." The horn blew again. "Goodbye Faith." Giles walked out the door.  
  
Faith watched them go with a wave and then walked back in the house, shutting the door. She headed down to the basement where Spike was sitting on a cot, his wrists in chains attached to the wall.  
  
"Hey." Faith said.  
  
"Hey." Spike said.  
  
"Giles is off.. on the retreat."  
  
"Give us all a chance for a breather, eh?"  
  
"From Giles?"  
  
"From the constant pitter patter of clomping teenage girly feet."  
  
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Faith said with a shrug.  
  
"Come on."  
  
"No, I enjoy my responsibility as mentor, role model, life guide.. Oh, my God, I cannot believe I have a bathroom all to myself for two whole days." Faith plopped down on the cot next to Spike.  
  
"It's like a bloody war-zone up there, and not in a good way."  
  
"Have you seen the kitchen since they've been here?"  
  
"I'm just trying to stay out of their way."  
  
"I noticed."  
  
"This is better. Believe me, it's safer."  
  
"Ok. But you've been fine. In close contact with the girls."  
  
"With you or Buffy or Angel by my side, yeah. You three won't let me hurt one of them. And that's the way it's gonna be until we're sure the First is done making me its bitch. Either we're together, or I'm on the leash."  
  
"We just need to make sure the trigger's deactivated then. We've got a couple of days, lack of pitter-patter and all.."  
  
"Faith.."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Ow."  
  
"Ow?"  
  
Spike's face contorted and started to twitch. "Ow ow ow!" He leaned back and thrashed against the wall.  
  
"What's wrong?" Spike put his hands to his head. "Spike, what is going on?"  
  
Spike started to calm down. "The chip. God. Why would..." Suddenly he screamed and held his hands to his head, writhing in intense pain.  
  
"SPIKE!" Faith grabbed him and held him to her as he writhed. As if he couldn't take it anymore, Spike's body just went limp. Faith moved him gently to lay on the cot and then walked upstairs and almost ran into Willow.  
  
"What's the matter?" Willow asked.  
  
"Spike's chip just went off. It was really bad." Faith said.  
  
"Do you have any idea why? He didn't hit you did he?"  
  
"No! Of course he didn't hit me. I don't know why it went off. Maybe the First is playing with it."  
  
"Maybe. Why don't you go check on him and I'll, uh, make some tea. I was down here anyway."  
  
"Needed a break from playing 'doctor'?"  
  
"Yeah. Hey, there is no doctor playing of any kind!"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Haha Faith. Go."  
  
Faith laughed and walked down to check on Spike. He was still knocked out. Faith guessed the chip had stopped whatever it was doing because Spike was curled up and comfy looking on the cot. Faith stroked his hair gently and then walked back upstairs.  
  
"Hey. How is he?" Willow asked.  
  
"Oh, in the 'goes' part of 'comes and goes.'" Faith said.  
  
"Well there seems to be a definite lack of screaming. That has to be good."  
  
"You'd think." Faith watched Willow pour hot water into a cup. "That for the other patient?"  
  
"Yeah. Thought I'd bring her some tea, help her feel better."  
  
"Mm-hmm." Faith said with a smile.  
  
"It's just tea."  
  
Faith laughed and then paused. She glanced at the door to the basement and then looked straight at Willow. "Will, how much do you know about the chip?"  
  
"Spike's chip? Well, I remember trying to dig up stuff back then, but, turns out, when a secret government agency studies vampires and puts chips in their brains that keep them from hurting people, they don't really build websites. Why?"  
  
"Even with the chip, Spike was able to hurt all those people when he was brainwashed."  
  
"Yeah, but he was under the control of the First."  
  
"Maybe something's wrong with it."  
  
"The chip is misfiring all on its own, then. Well this'll be fun."  
  
"Remember when things used to be nice and boring?"  
  
"No." Willow shrugged and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
"Have fun.. delivering tea.." Faith called.  
  
"Ok, not when you make it sound all dirty like that." Willow called back.  
  
Faith smiled to herself and walked into the living room with Dawn. The teenager was staring at a picture of her, Buffy, and Angel. "Hey, what's up?"  
  
"Nothing." Dawn said, putting the picture down. "Just thinking."  
  
"Bout what?"  
  
"Buffy. Something's up with her. She didn't sound like Buffy on the phone."  
  
"I know what you mean. She sounded like she was hiding something."  
  
"And she wouldn't let me talk to Angel when I asked. Something about he was incapacitated."  
  
"Maybe they'd had a nice big brawl with some out of town vamps and Angel got hurt bad enough that he was laying down with bandages all over him. Maybe that's why Buff sounded so strained."  
  
"I hope so. Well, not hope that Angel's hurt, just hope that Buffy.. Is.. I'll just be quiet now. You know what I mean."  
  
"I'm just mad they're getting all the action up there. It's boring around here with nothing to kill."  
  
"Wanna watch a movie? I hear they have Shallow Hal on HBO now."  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
  
  
Faith was dozing on the couch when the scream sounded. Dawn sat up and looked at Faith as the Slayer jumped up and ran downstairs. Spike was thrashing and holding his head tightly. Faith ran up and grabbed him, holding tightly to him with all her strength to steady him. When he stopped and laid back, Faith walked over to the dryer and pulled out a towel.  
  
"Popped another blood vessel, I think." Spike said. Faith handed him a towel and he wiped blood from his nose.  
  
"There's gotta be a reason why the chip is going all wonky. Maybe it's related to the trigger or maybe it has something to do with the new soul." Faith said, sitting next to him.  
  
"Or maybe I wasn't meant to last this long. One more thing you and I have in common, eh, pet?"  
  
"Well, we'll fix it. We'll hit serious research mode.."  
  
"Good. Try Behavioral Modification Software Throughout the Ages."  
  
"Ok. You're right. Not a book thing. It's a phone thing."  
  
"Who you gonna call?" Faith looked at him funny. "God, that phrase is never gonna be useable again, is it?"  
  
"Doubt it." Faith walked upstairs and dialed the Hyperion. Fred picked up on the third ring. "Hey Fred, is Buffy or Angel there?"  
  
"Angel? He's uh.. Buffy's in the office." Fred said.  
  
"Can I talk to one of them?"  
  
"Um.. Not Angel."  
  
"Is he still incapacitated?"  
  
"Um, yeah?"  
  
"Then let me talk to B."  
  
"Um, ok."  
  
There was an exchange of words and then a click. Faith thought the woman had hung up on her, but then Buffy's tired voice filled the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"B? You sound horrible."  
  
"Bad couple of days. With Angel not being able to fight and the whole town turning into an amusement park for the undead and demonic kind, it's enough to make a Slayer of my stature sound horrible. It's just too much for me and Connor."  
  
"Want me to come up there?"  
  
"NO! You just stay there. We need an active Slayer on the Hellmouth. Especially now that the First has taken up residence there."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Positive. What did you need?"  
  
"A phone number actually."  
  
"For..?"  
  
"Riley."  
  
"Riley? Why would you want to call him?"  
  
"He's the only one I know that can tell us what's wrong with Spike's chip."  
  
"Spike's chip? Ok, I'm missing a whole lot, aren't I?"  
  
"It just started today. Spike's chip is.."  
  
"Faith? Who're you talking to?" Dawn asked.  
  
"Dominos." Faith replied, covering the mouthpiece. "Go let Spike out of the chains please."  
  
"Ok." Dawn walked off.  
  
"Sorry B, I need Riley's number now and Dawn would take forever talking to you. She's worried."  
  
"Spike's chip is what?"  
  
"I guess the word would be malfunctioning. It's been.. Hurting him."  
  
"As in.."  
  
"As in hurting him for just sitting there. He needs help Buffy."  
  
"Yeah, ok. Um, Riley's number should be in my desk drawer upstairs in my room. It's in my little personal phone book thing."  
  
"Thank you Buffy. I'll go find it now. Hey, you sure you don't need.." Dawn walked back in with Spike. "A tip?"  
  
"A tip?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah, ok. Thank you. I'm sorry too. You, uh, you just lost a very valuable customer." Faith hung up. "Stupid people don't have pineapple for a pineapple and chicken pizza."  
  
"Funny, they usually do." Dawn said.  
  
"Uh huh. Don't you have homework?"  
  
"Ok Buffy." Dawn walked up the stairs muttering, "Connor doesn't have to do his homework. He gets to help save the world and all I get is stuck here with a lame vampire and a bad liar of a Slayer."  
  
Faith rolled her eyes and looked at Spike. "That was Buffy. She, uh, she gave me the number for Riley. I'm going to call him and see if he'll give up any information on your chip."  
  
Spike nodded and watched her run upstairs. "I thought you said she gave you the number."  
  
Faith came back down with a little black leather phone book. "She did. She told me where it was at." Faith looked up the number and then dialed. "Hello? Yes, Agent Finn, Riley. Tell him we're having a problem with Spike's chip. No his chip. Spike." Spike looked at her as she talked and thought that maybe she was going to too much trouble just for him. "Listen, pet.."  
  
"No, no, Finn is his last name. Yeah. Well, did he used to work there and then he got transferred?" Spike's chip went off again. He thrashed on the stairs unnoticed by Faith. "Oh, is this actually a flower shop, or is this one of those things where I'm supposed to play along to show that I know it's really secret ops? Oh, maybe I shouldn't have said that. Oh, ok, right. Well, if some guy named Finn shows up to buy flowers.. Yeah. Thanks. She hung up and turned to Spike. "Wrong number. Or a giant government conspiracy, one or the.." Finally she noticed he was recovering from an episode. "Spike?"  
  
"This one seemed easier than the others. See? Probably just gonna fade.." Spike screamed and grabbed his head again.  
  
"Spike!" Faith grabbed him before he fell to the floor. He thrashed in her arms and Faith gently lowered him to the floor. As soon as the fit was over, she helped Spike stand. "Come on, let's get you somewhere comfortable." She started to pull Spike up to Buffy's room, but he held back. "What?"  
  
"I can't.." Spike said. "It's Buffy's room. I don't want to get on her bad side by sleeping in her room without her permission."  
  
"She won't care. It's Buffy. She cares about you Spike. Besides, I think she has a lot more to worry about than you sleeping in her bed."  
  
Spike stared at Faith a moment and then allowed her to lead him upstairs. He laid down on the bed and buried his head in the pillow that smelled of Buffy and Angel. Faith started to walk out. "Wait."  
  
She turned. "What?"  
  
"Stay with me?"  
  
"You don't.. Spike, we shouldn't."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're still recovering from the First playing mind games on you."  
  
"I'll sleep better."  
  
"Spike.."  
  
"Faith, I know this is about the fight we had. I'm sorry about that. There's no way that I can make it up to you. There is no redemption for what I did to you. All I can really do is sit back and suffer, but I still love you." Faith looked at Spike. She still loved him and she still wanted him, but she wasn't ready to completely forgive him. "Please? Stay with me?"  
  
After a moment, Faith nodded. "Fine, but no funny stuff."  
  
"My hands are my hands and they'll stay at my side." Spike put his hands at his sides to prove his point.  
  
Faith slipped into the bed next to him and laid her back against his chest. She felt a little guilty that she was sleeping in Buffy's bed, but the blonde Slayer had given her permission to do so. Closing her eyes, Faith let sleep take her.  
  
  
  
Buffy woke up with a start. She had been lying on the desk dreaming about Angel when something had gone through her. Confused, Buffy looked around the office. She had fallen asleep on the desk. Connor walked into the office and Buffy stared at him as if she didn't know who he was.  
  
"Geez mom, you look like death." Connor said, picking up a book from the shelf behind her. He held it up. "Fred wanted to look in here to see if any Beast references showed up that she happened to miss." Buffy stared at him funny. "You ok?"  
  
Buffy shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "Yeah." She smiled, as her body lightened up and her brain pushed everything important off to the side. "I'm great. Just needed a nap."  
  
"You sure?"  
  
Buffy stood and looked down at her rumpled clothes. "God, how long have I been wearing this crap? I'm going to go change. Maybe take a shower."  
  
"Good. You need to take your mind off Angelus."  
  
"Oh, I'm not taking my mind off of Angelus for a second." Buffy thought about her vampire husband downstairs locked in a cage all by himself.  
  
"Whatever. What did Faith want earlier? Fred said she called."  
  
"I don't know. Something about calling Riley. Didn't really care. I'm going."  
  
"All right. Have a nice shower." Connor walked out and handed Fred the book as Buffy strolled out of the office and looked at the monitor. Angelus was humming to himself. She smiled as he moved away from the wall. God, he was sexy. His muscles flexed under the tight shirt he was wearing and Buffy felt the need to go to him. She looked down at her disheveled self. "Not in this." She walked upstairs and hopped in the shower, washing away everything that had taken up her mind in the past few days and allowing one thought into her brain: Screw it all. 


	51. The Killer in Me part 2

Chapter 51  
  
Faith woke up to Anya yelling her name. She ran downstairs, Spike right behind her. "What the hell is going on here?" She scowled when she saw Warren. It was the guy that Willow has flayed and had caused Buffy all that trouble before. She punched him in the nose. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain on the floor. "Ow!" Faith stared at Warren.  
  
Spike grabbed his head. "Faith.."  
  
"Wait." Anya said.  
  
"But if he's the First.." Dawn said.  
  
"I'm not the First." Warren said.  
  
"You're not the First."  
  
"I know.  
  
"Oh, my God!" Andrew said. He went to Warren. "You're back." He hugged Warren from behind, his hands touching Warren's chest.  
  
"Hey! Bad touching!" Warren said, jumping away from Andrew. "Everyone please stop it."  
  
"It's Willow." Kennedy said.  
  
"I'm Willow."  
  
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked.  
  
"There is an incident where you borrowed a white shirt of Buffy's that you never returned to her because you spilt red fruit punch on it and couldn't get it out. I could call her right now.."  
  
"Hey, Willow!" Dawn said, hugging Willow/Warren.  
  
"What happened?" Anya asked as everyone inched closer.  
  
"I don't know. We were there, and then I looked like him." Willow/Warren said.  
  
"Oh, like a glamour."  
  
"Maybe, but I probably brought it on myself."  
  
"What makes you think that?" Faith asked.  
  
"Well, it wouldn't be the first time. I have a history with my witchy subconscious making things go kerfloopey. Remember the wacky 'I can't see you, you can't see me' spell?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Oh, that's because you weren't back yet." The whole time Faith and Willow/Warren had been talking, Andrew and Dawn had started to poke at her/him.  
  
"Guys!"  
  
"It's so real." Andrew said, backing off.  
  
"I'm all too aware." Willow/Warren said, brushing away Dawn's hand.  
  
"Ok, say you're right, and you did do this to yourself. Why would your subconscious turn you into Warren?" Faith asked.  
  
"Obviously because I feel bad-about killing him."  
  
"We'll deal. We'll get help."  
  
"No, I can handle this."  
  
"On your own? Why?"  
  
"I did it. I'll fix it. I don't want you seeing me this way anyway." Willow/ Warren walked toward the door.  
  
"It's kinda a little late for that."  
  
"Seriously, I'm not posing any big threat to the world. Looks like you've got your hands full already." Faith looked over at Spike. He was on the floor twitching. "I'll go, I'll handle it, I'll fix it, I'll be back before you even know I'm gone. Promise." Willow/Warren left.  
  
"Spike." Faith said, kneeling by his side.  
  
"Faith.." Spike groaned.  
  
"I'm right here."  
  
"The chip fired again."  
  
"I kinda figured. Maybe they'll call back. Maybe they'll send help."  
  
"Maybe we can't wait."  
  
Faith stared at him. "What do you suggest?"  
  
  
  
An hour later, Spike led Faith through the woods. They each held a flashlight. Spike stopped and looked at her. "Are you sure you still wanna go in this place with me?"  
  
"Eh, nothing good on TV tonight." Faith said with a smile.  
  
"Here we are."  
  
"Here we are." Faith said as they kneeled on the ground. "You think the stuff's still good?"  
  
"I don't know." Spike dug through the dirt. "Worked pretty good when the Initiative held me captive here. Every time I'd get a little.. rambunctious, the chip'd kick in. I'd feel like my head was gonna explode. They'd dope me up, and everything would be all daffodils and teddy bears. For a couple of hours anyway."  
  
"Maybe we should search for files and stuff. Find out everything we can about the chip-shelf life."  
  
"I'll take whatever I can get." He grabbed a chain in the dirt.  
  
Faith grabbed the chain with him. "Ready?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Together they pulled on the chain. It was connected to a metal grate. The thing came up easily with the two of them tugging on it. Faith and Spike jumped down through the opening in the ground into a dark hallway. They started to walk and Spike started to tell her the story of what had happened there three years ago. Faith followed a little ways behind, becoming a little freaked out.  
  
"Be careful." Faith said just as she stepped on something. She shined her flashlight on rotting bodies on the floor. "Oh, God. They just left them."  
  
"They just sealed the place off. Left everything as it was." Spike said.  
  
"I'm thinking brief stay."  
  
"Yeah, you're not wrong." He shined his light on a door. "I think I can get us to the med lab, find the drug."  
  
Spike walked to the door and opened it. Faith went through it first, followed by Spike. The door opened to an area lit dimly by red lights that lead to a large, dark room. Faith and Spike walked slowly through the room when they heard a noise behind them. They turned their flashlights to investigate, but they didn't see anything there. Faith sighed and turned to follow Spike. They walked through the large, dark room side by side. Something made a sound like groaning metal. They both stopped in their tracks, putting their backs together.  
  
"You hear that?" Spike asked.  
  
"Yeah." Faith answered, looking around.  
  
"Think something survived?"  
  
"Sounds like."  
  
"You see where?"  
  
"No, it sounded like it was coming from over there. Whatever it is, it's not.." Faith was cut off by something whooshing behind them. They turned to look, but saw nothing. They continued walking around. From out of nowhere, something grabbed Faith. She dropped her flashlight.  
  
"Faith!" Spike yelled. He jumped into action, fending the demon off and away from Faith. Suddenly, his chip went off again. "Not now.." He collapsed to the floor.  
  
"Spike!" Faith yelled.  
  
The demon dropped Faith and went to Spike, grabbing him by the heel and dragging him out of the room. Faith grabbed her flashlight and went to follow.  
  
"Great. I've never been in this stupid place and my tour guide had to get taken away. I'm not coming back here, that's for sure. Maybe I should ask for my money back. Spike!" Faith called. Suddenly, the demon pounced on Faith. She grabbed a nearby snow shovel and swung it at the demon. He threw her across the room. She got up and kicked at it with both feet, pushing it away. When it came at her again, she thrust the shovel into the demon's chest. It growled and fell to the floor. Faith dropped the shovel and went to Spike. "Hey. Are you still with us?"  
  
"Yeah.." Spike said.  
  
"That guy was.." The lights came on in the room, and Faith looked up at a half-dozen army men pointing guns at her and Spike. "Just the beginning."  
  
"What's happening?"  
  
"Faith." The lead man said. "Agent Finn reported that you tried to contact him earlier today."  
  
"I knew it! Faith whispered to Spike. "Government conspiracy."  
  
The man waved the other soldiers off. They put down their guns. "He indicated you might be needing our assistance. We're to provide you anything you need to help ass-face here." Faith and Spike stared at him. "Those were his exact words, ma'am."  
  
Faith looked down at Spike. "Ok, take him."  
  
The soldiers helped Spike to stand and then led him to an examination room. Faith followed them, but the lead soldier shut the door before she could enter. Frustrated, she started to pace. She didn't know how long it had been when the lead guy came back out.  
  
"Med team tells me they took a look at the chip. You were right. It's degraded. Leave it as it is much longer, it'll be fatal to him." Lead guy said.  
  
"Ok. So, how long t.." Faith started.  
  
"Now."  
  
"Right, of course. Um, what do we do next?"  
  
"Agent Finn said it was your call, ma'am."  
  
"My.. What was my call?"  
  
"All decisions regarding Hostile 17 are to be left in your hands. This chip.. we can either repair it.. Or remove it."  
  
Faith stared at the lead soldier. She didn't know what to do. Buffy would probably have a heart attack if Faith had the chipped removed. They ALL would have a heart attack. It was Spike! Spike had done horrible things to all of them before he had gotten his chip. Spike had done horrible things to a lot of people before he had gotten his chip.  
  
On the other hand, Spike had his soul. Just like Angel. Angel hadn't been able to kill people after getting his soul back. He had felt so guilty about it that it had driven him to live like a homeless person. His soul was stronger than Spike's soul was before they were changed though. Spike had been a poet-writing, lover boy while Angel had been a womanizing, drunk. Spike had been driven insane. Crawling around in high school basements and blabbing on about hurting Faith and all the people he had killed.  
  
What was a Slayer to do? 


	52. Calvary

Chapter 52  
  
Buffy walked downstairs to the lobby with a bag of clothes for Angelus and found Fred and Gunn talking. Angelus could be heard from the monitor saying vulgar things towards them. Xander had decided to go check on things in Sunnydale earlier that day and he was gone. Gunn looked up and scanned Buffy's body. She wasn't in her usual attire. She had on a pair of tight, black leather pants and a black tank top that showed off her cleavage and hugged her curves, showing a little of her toned stomach. Her hair was loose over her shoulders and curled in loose ringlets.  
  
"Buffy, you, uh.. Changed." Gunn said.  
  
"I got tired of playing mommy. Most of all, dressing the part. I'm the Slayer. Why not dress like one?" Buffy said. She looked over at the monitor. "How long has he been talking?"  
  
"Uh, not long. A few minutes or so."  
  
"Like smacking your girl around? I bet you Wes would never hit her. He's all proper and English. And that accent.. Oh, chicks just love a good accent. Makes em all buttery in their nether regions. Isn't that right, Fred? You know, I had a bit of an Irish brogue back in the day. If you like, I can use it on you when I rape you to death. Or.." Angelus said.  
  
"Son of a bitch."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. "I'm, uh.. I'm going to go, you know, shut him up for you."  
  
"How?" Fred asked.  
  
"You guys have some issues to work out. Am I right? It should take a while, yeah?"  
  
"Buffy.. You're not going to make good on your offer are you?"  
  
"Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on what he decides. Why should you care?"  
  
"Buffy, that's too dangerous. You know what he'll decide." Gunn said.  
  
"Ah, he won't hurt me." Buffy said in a singsong voice as she started to trot off towards the basement. "Oh, and if Connor comes back, tell him I went out patrolling. Hell, tell him to go find me if he wants. Have fun."  
  
"Gunn, losing Angel's soul has made her crazy." Fred said as Buffy walked down into the basement. Gunn came after her, but she locked the door against his protests, and shut off the camera.  
  
"I smell something sweet." Angelus said. He looked up as he heard the click of her boots on the stairs. Then his jaw almost dropped as he saw her outfit. "Ow.. Momma's got a brand new bag. Buff, did you dress this way just for me? Now I feel so underdressed."  
  
"Get back." Buffy said, unlocking the cage and walking in with a cold smile.  
  
"What's in the bag Little Red?"  
  
"Clothes for you." She tossed the keys behind her, out of the cage, and then tossed the bag next to Angelus' feet before she cornered him against the wall.  
  
"What the hell are you doing? I don't have any more information."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Oh I see. I love games too. They're so.." Buffy cut him off by slamming him against the wall. She held him there lightly with her hands on his chest and gave his body a slow once over. Angelus smirked. "I like this change. What's come over you?"  
  
"I don't know. Don't really care. I woke up and was just tired of it all. Thought you could help me with the forgetting."  
  
"I'm your demon. What were you thinking? Vampire? Like me."  
  
"Nah. Maybe later though. Right now I have something in mind."  
  
"What's on you're mind? Not that I don't already.."  
  
Angelus was cut off again, but this time it was by Buffy covering his mouth with hers. He pulled her closer and kissed her deeply, almost animalistically. She ran her tongue hard across one of his dull incisors and drew a small amount of blood that he sucked up greedily. Her hands found the front of his shirt and ripped it open. He stared down at her for a moment and wondered what had come over her. Then he saw it. There was a gleam in her eye that made her eyes turn violet. It was the gleam of a spell. Someone had put a spell on her to make her.. Do whatever it was she was doing. Angelus wasn't complaining. He knew exactly what Buffy could get her body to do and he wasn't about to miss out on it. When he looked back down into Buffy's eyes, the violet was gone and replaced by something sinister. She almost looked.. Soulless.  
  
With a flick of Buffy's wrists, Angelus was thrown onto the floor in the corner of the cell. He was about to attack when Buffy straddled him and started to work on his belt as she kissed and licked his chest. He groaned as she dug her hips into his and caused him to grow harder. Angelus sat up and pulled her closer, kissing her more deeply than before. He ripped her shirt off and then got rid of his pants, then hers. He actually wanted her a lot more than he had ever wanted Darla. Hell, Darla had nothing on this woman.  
  
Buffy brought him back to her by raking her nails hard down his chest and drawing blood. She licked it up and then kissed Angelus. He bucked and was suddenly inside her. She smiled coolly and started to move. Their sex was hard, fast, and animalistic. She was definitely under a spell. But Angelus didn't care. She was his one way or another. If a spell made her evil, then he'd take it. Buffy belonged by his side. There was no one else worthy enough of him. "Not even Darla." He thought again.  
Buffy laid sleeping on top of Angelus' sweaty chest. He has covering her bottom up with his torn shirt and he used his chest to cover her breasts. She sighed slightly as Angelus stroked the small bite mark on the back of her shoulder. He covered her up in his old, tattered shirt and laid the blanket down on the floor before he laid her on it and got up. Walking over to the bag, he looked at some of the scratches and bite marks she had left on him. With a smile, he changed into the clothes Buffy had brought him. A noise behind him caught his attention and he turned to find Buffy sitting up and not even bothering to cover herself.  
  
"Hello lover." She purred. "Could you hand me my clothes?"  
  
"I thought you were asleep." Angelus said, ignoring her request.  
  
"Woke up. Clothes, now."  
  
"What? You think that I'm going to just let you walk out of here without me? I know you're not exactly the goody-two-shoes Buffy you once were."  
  
"No shit. Clothes now, or beating now. Whichever."  
  
Angelus laughed. "You're a pistol. Which makes you all the better of a companion for me."  
  
"I planned on getting you out of here, but I can't do that when I look bad. I have to look like 'the goody-two-shoes Buffy' that everyone knows and, for some odd reason, loves." She flashed him her 100 watt smile and stood up as he tossed her clothes to her. "Thank you SWEETHEART." She mocked.  
  
"You're welcome DARLING." He smiled at her. She quickly got dressed and stepped to the cage door, ready to walk out. Angelus couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips as she paused, hands on the bars. "You know you tossed the keys over there, right?"  
  
Buffy turned with a grin on her face. "I know."  
  
"And you locked the door."  
  
"That would be a big 'duh.'"  
  
"Not to mention turned the camera off." This time it was Buffy who chuckled. "What?" She slid a key out of one of her pockets in her pants. "I never come unprepared." She opened the cage door and leaned against the bars, facing him. "Now, you stay here and be a good boy while mommy goes up and wreaks havoc on our friends' minds."  
  
"Yes mommy." Angelus brought her to him with one arm around her waist and kissed her deeply. "I'll play good if you play bad."  
  
Buffy smiled and waved as she finished locking the door and walked up the stairs. "Ciao."  
  
"Hey Buff?" Buffy stopped and turned. "Who do you think did this to you? Not that I'm complaining."  
  
"Don't know. Don't care. If I find out, we'll thank em." With that, she was out the door.  
  
Lorne was out in the lobby and he was the first to notice her. "Hey! Look who's finally decided to come out of her room! Wow, what's with the new look sugarcakes?" "She doesn't want to play mommy anymore. She wants to be the Slayer." Gunn said.  
  
"Ah Gunn, don't be jealous. The last guy that was jealous of me is in Belize or something like that." Buffy said.  
  
"You were down there with that monster for three hours!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"Three hours with Angelus Buffy? What were you doing down there for that long?" Wesley asked, concern creeping into his tone.  
  
"Exactly what Buffy would normally do." Cordy said, walking down the steps with Connor next to her.  
  
"Huh?" Fred asked. "I'm confused. And how long have you been standing there?"  
  
"Long enough to know what's going on."  
  
"Hi Cor! Had a vision? Need me to go kill something?" Buffy asked, ignoring everyone else for the time being.  
  
"No, nothing."  
  
"Oh." The Slayer shrugged and sat down on the settee, propping one leg up in a half Indian style fashion while the other dangled casually over the side. "So what's new with you then, Cordy?"  
  
"What's with the new look? It screams Angelus. Well, you know, if he was a woman."  
  
"I got tired of sitting around playing mommy like Gunn said. I actually decided to go and have some fun."  
  
"What?" Gunn asked. "So you admit it?"  
  
"No. I was down there talking with him for a while and then I went out and patrolled the sewers. It's like demon rush hour down there! What a rush! You gotta love the whole no-sun concept the Beast thought up! Brings in the tourists."  
  
"Talk? You expect us to believe you went down and had a casual conversation with the thing that has haunted your dreams since the first time he went bad?"  
  
Buffy cringed inside, wanting to rip Gunn's head off, but instead she flashed him a glowing smile and flipped her hair out of her face. "Why wouldn't you believe me?" She stood and walked up to him. Leaning close, she whispered in his ear, "After all, I could pop your head right off your shoulders and not even think about trying. So if I were you, I'd stop interrogating me." She pulled back and flashed another high wattage smile. Gunn just stared back at her, too dumbstruck to form words. Buffy was going to turn to go back down to see Angelus, but the monitor caught her attention. "Damn it!"  
  
"What?" Fred asked, looking at the monitor.  
  
"Lilah." Buffy almost growled the name, but she covered it with a scowl and ran to the door. Lilah turned as Buffy and the others dashed down the stairs toward her. As Angelus reached out through the bars to grab her, Gunn fired a tranq dart into him. Lilah dropped her crowbar and ran across the room, ducking back into the sewers. Gunn kept the rifle trained on Angelus. Wesley and Connor headed after her as Angelus collapsed to the floor.  
  
"Connor, wait." Buffy said. "You should stay here and make sure it isn't a setup. There might be others." Connor nodded and started searching the dark corners of the basement.  
  
"Check the locks." Gunn said with a glare at Buffy.  
  
Connor shook the door to the cage. It was solid. He kicked the crowbar away from the cage and across the room. Gunn finally lowered the rifle. "What kind of brain fart made that witch try and let Angelus out?"  
  
"I want to know how she even knew he was here." Cordy said.  
  
"Maybe she took Angel's soul." Connor said.  
  
"She's a mucky-muck at Wolfram & Hart. It's her job to know." Gunn said.  
  
"I thought the Beast killed everyone at Wolfram & Hart." Fred said.  
  
"Maybe she cut some kind of deal with it."  
  
"You really think she has a connection to the Beast?" Connor asked.  
  
"Lilah or not, someone is doing the Beast's dirty work."  
  
"That would explain how giant lava-boy could tiptoe past Buffy and Angel to take out Manny." Cordy said.  
  
"And butcher that family, those priestesses." Connor added.  
  
"Even though Lilah's evil, I don't see her hacking up all those people." Fred said. "Right Buffy?"  
  
Buffy looked up from Angelus who was starting to stir. "Hmm? Oh, Lilah and hacking. Yeah. I don't think she could do that."  
  
"Okay, maybe it's not just her. Maybe the big bad Beast has minions doing his dirty work." Gunn said.  
  
"Morons. The big rock doesn't have minions." Angelus said, sitting up. "It is the minion."  
  
"No, it's not. We've seen what it can do." Fred said.  
  
"You've just seen the warm-up act."  
  
"What are you saying?" Cordy asked.  
  
"I'm saying, there's something bigger. Something worse." Angelus looked at Buffy. "The Beast.. has a boss."  
  
"Worse than the Beast?" Gunn asked.  
  
"That's.. that's not possible." Cordy said.  
  
"How did you survive this long being so retarded?" Angelus asked.  
  
Buffy tried hard to laugh and Angelus knew it. She cleared her throat and went as serious as she could. "Cut the Fu-Manchu. What do you know?"  
  
"Quite a bit. Maybe I'll fill in the blanks sometime."  
  
"How do you know there's something worse than the Beast?" Connor asked.  
  
"Cause I've got a brain, son. The Beast I knew was big on the smash and slaughter. Had the brawn to be really good at it, too. But the big picture? Not his strong point. But whoa.. flash forward. Now he's all rain of fire, destroying the Ra-tet, blotting out the sun.."  
  
"He's right. Those are big moves for a guy whose head's made out of rock." Buffy said.  
  
"Maybe he got smarter." Cordy offered.  
  
"And maybe I'll sprout some wings and flutter away." Angelus said. "There's something else out there. More powerful, more vicious.. pulling all the strings. I don't know about you but I'm just dying to find out what it is." Gunn glared for a minute and then stomped upstairs. "What's stuck up his rear end?"  
  
Buffy smiled. "A giant stake." She put her hand on the pole and Angelus moved to grab it, but Connor grabbed Buffy by the waist and pulled her away.  
  
"Mom, watch out. He'll try and kill you." Connor said.  
  
She turned to him. "You're absolutely right. What was I thinking?"  
  
"I don't know. You've been acting strange lately. Don't worry, I won't let Angelus hurt you."  
  
"Thank you sweetie. Why don't you go up with Fred and Gunn?"  
  
"Are you going to be ok?"  
  
"I'll be fine. I'm going to see if I can.. Pump any more info out of him."  
  
"Ok." Connor hugged her and she cringed inside.  
  
As Connor went up the stairs, Angelus smirked as Buffy shuddered. "Ick."  
  
"Don't you just hate the warm fuzzies?" Angelus asked.  
  
"Again, ick." Buffy walked up to the bars so she was face to face with Angelus and both facing away from the camera.  
  
"So, you were saying something about pumping me for more 'info'?"  
  
"Didn't say what kind of info." She ran her hands over his chest as he cupped his hand over her breast. He leaned in for a kiss and Buffy moved away. "The camera's watching."  
  
"Go unplug it." She shook her head playfully. "Why not?" She shrugged. Angelus smirked. "God I love this."  
  
"You should. You never know, I might get bored with you and decided to go solo."  
  
"Doubtful."  
  
"How do you figure?"  
  
"You would have by now." She smiled. "See. I knew it." Angelus wagged a finger at her and she moved to the bars again. He leaned down and this time Buffy allowed him to kiss her. Things had started to get heated when the door slammed open. Buffy wrapped her hand around Angelus' throat and held him at arm's length. "I know you have more than that."  
  
Angelus laughed. "Come on Buff! You know me better than anyone. It's going to take a lot more than hollow promises to get me to talk."  
  
"How about another tranq dart?" Gunn asked.  
  
Buffy released Angelus and sat on the stairs. "Won't work."  
  
"Oh I don't know. It did a few minutes ago."  
  
"Gunn, just leave him alone. I don't want my husband to come back and have a ton of little holes in his body."  
  
Gunn came over and sat next to her. "It's going to be ok. We'll get Angel back."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Hey, I'm sorry about earlier. You just took me by surprise."  
  
"I have a tendency to do that sometimes."  
  
"Why don't you go rest? I'll watch Angelus."  
  
Buffy looked at Angelus and then stood up. "Ok. I'll be.. You can call me on my cell if you can't find me." With a final glance at Angelus, Buffy headed upstairs. 


	53. Calvary part 2

A/N Evil Buffy is exactly that: Evil. Please don't patronize me about what she does with Angelus. I've always wanted to toy with the idea of what Buffy would be like evil. I think she'd be just as bad as Angelus. Maybe even worse since she knows him and how to play him.  
  
Chapter 53  
  
Buffy watched from the second story overlooking the hotel lobby as Lorne walked into the Hyperion. Fred perked up. "Lorne! Did you find out anything?"  
  
"Zip. Zilch." Lorne said. He noticed Lilah who had recently joined the group. "And what in the hell is succu-bitch doing here?"  
  
"Still trying to figure that out." Cordy said. "So.. nothing?"  
  
"Talked to every contact that hasn't beat it for higher ground. Nobody's heard bo-peep about Angel's soul."  
  
"Forget about the goody-goody. You want to kill the Beast and give his boss a run for his evil? The answer's downstairs in a cage. Sic Angelus on him." Lilah said.  
  
Buffy smiled as Cordy piped up. "Do you know what Angelus would do if we let him out?"  
  
"Kill you all except Buffy in a bloody shower of violence.. but, hey, greater good."  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"She's the apple of his evil eye. The files Wolfram and Hart have on Angelus proves that if he can't defeat it, he falls for it. Buffy is the very embodiment of that. He couldn't defeat her, so.. Well, it doesn't take a genius to see the way he looks at her."  
  
Cordy shook her head. "Buffy would never. Anyways, we'll find another way. I'm sure if we just all.."  
  
"What? Hold hands and sing a hymn? That might be a little hard when the Beast is ripping your guts out."  
  
"Lilah, I know things look grim right now.."  
  
"Don't go Watchtower on me, Saint Cordelia. I don't think I could stomach it."  
  
"Man, I'd love to punch your face in."  
  
"Are you trying to turn me on?"  
  
"You know what's sad about people like you, Lilah? It all comes down to fear."  
  
"Fascinating. Now that we've got that settled.."  
  
"You're too scared to believe in anything because you're too scared to hope. You won't even open your eyes to the possibility."  
  
"You don't get it, do you, twinkie? I'm what I believe in. And you think I got this far by sticking my head in the sand? The Beast that eviscerated me has a boss and that boss is going to end life as we know it and nobody is coming to save us! Not Angel, not the Powers That Be and not the Forty- damned-second Cavalry! So if anybody has scales on their eyes.." Suddenly Cordy's head rocked back and her eyes went white. "It's you."  
  
"I can bring him back. I know how to re-ensoul Angel." Cordy said.  
  
Buffy's eyes widened and she gasped. They all looked up at her. Lorne smiled. "Hey Blondie. I guess you heard the great news."  
  
Buffy smiled and made her eyes tear up. She pretended to be speechless and nodded. Gunn walked up to her and hugged her. Buffy did her best not to pull away. As soon as Gunn released her, she walked down the stairs to face Cordy. "How?"  
Buffy walked down the stairs and Angelus smiled. "Hey there!"  
  
Wesley stood up and walked over to her. "You shouldn't be down here."  
  
"I'm ok." Buffy said. "They need you upstairs."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Cordy knows how to bring Angel back."  
  
"Really? How?"  
  
"She had a vision."  
  
Wesley hugged her. "I bet you're so happy."  
  
Buffy smiled. "Of course. Now get up there and bring my husband back." Wesley left and Buffy looked at Angelus. "What's with all the damn hugging? I never hugged that much when I was good."  
  
"I wouldn't say that." Angelus said.  
  
"That wasn't hugging. That was locked in an orgasm with soul boy." Angelus started to chuckle, but Buffy punched him in the face and sent him sprawling. "Shut up. We need to figure out how to stop this."  
  
Angelus stood up and watched her pace. "I don't see how we can. Unless you let me out now and we run away together."  
  
"Now that would just give me away."  
  
"So?"  
  
Buffy wheeled on Angelus. "I have plans moron. If they find me out, that upsets the plans. God! Those stupid visions. I should have killed Cordelia the minute she gave you lusty eyes back in sophomore year of high school." Buffy went back to pacing. "Damn it."  
  
"How about we let them ensoul me and then you have the shaman ready to take it away again?"  
  
"Angel would know and he'd tattle on me."  
  
"Not Angel. He loves you too much. Knowing him he'd probably lock you down and figure out a way to make you good again."  
  
"You just contradicted your own plan idiot."  
  
"Oh, such dirty words. Talk more to me Buff."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and went back to pacing. Angelus watched her like a predator watches his prey. They spent an hour waiting and then Wesley and the others came down with their arms full of magick stuff. Buffy stood in the corner watching. Connor came over, but she waved him away. Wesley set a skull down in the center of a ritual circle on the floor in front of Angelus' cage. Connor kneeled to Wesley's right while Fred laid down sticks in a runic pattern across from him. Cordelia, Gunn, Lorne, and Lilah stood nearby watching.  
  
"Almost done." Wesley said. He looked at Buffy. "Then you'll have Angel back."  
  
"Yippy." Buffy said.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"I don't know if we should try this. What if it goes wrong?"  
  
"It couldn't. Cordelia's visions are always precise."  
  
"She's right." Angelus said, catching on. "Have you all lost your minds? You're going to use black magick to restore my soul. People, this never goes well. Am we the only ones paying attention?"  
  
"Ten-to-one, the entire hotel gets sucked into a hell dimension." Lilah said.  
  
"You two, with the shuttin' up." Gunn said.  
  
"Talk about eleventh hour desperation. Face it, you're grasping. No jar, no soul." Angelus said.  
  
"You sound pretty desperate yourself." Connor said.  
  
"Do you have the vial?" Cordy asked Wesley.  
  
"Let's be realistic. Even if your precious champion makes another guest appearance, you can't stop the apocalypse. Bottom line is, you're going to lose." Angelus said. Cordelia held the vial over the center of the circle and poured blood onto the skull. "The last thing you smell will be each other's blood."  
  
"That's your opinion." Fred said.  
  
"You tell him, honey." Lorne said.  
  
"You shut your fat mouth."  
  
Angelus chuckled. "Look at you. Heroes. So tangled up in your own crap, you can't even find the world to save it."  
  
"Does everyone have their talismans?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Oh, I don't." Buffy said. "Guess it won't work, right?"  
  
"You don't need one." Everyone held up bundles of bones and feathers. Cordelia went over to the cage and stood before Angelus.  
  
"Hell, even Angel knew you never stood a chance. You want to know why he really let me out? Because he finally gave up. He knew you were all too weak and selfish to stop what's coming. He gave up his soul because he gave up on you." Angelus said.  
  
"Right. Bye-bye." Cordy threw a handful of sand on him to initiate the spell and Angelus was hurled across the cage and slammed into the wall. He struggled to his feet, gasping, as Wesley started the incantation.  
  
"Don't kid yourselves. I'll still be around long after your corpses rot." Wesley said something more and Angelus screamed and doubled over in pain as a glowing wispy-white cloud rose from the center of the circle and snaked toward him. "I promise you, this isn't the end." The cloud encircled Angelus and lifted him off the floor. He moaned in pain as the glowing energy enveloped his body. The skull exploded and the energy disappeared. Angelus dropped to the floor, stunned.  
  
Buffy walked up to the cage tentatively. "Angel?"  
  
"I'm so sorry." Angel said.  
  
"It worked." Lorne said.  
  
"Did it?" Connor asked, moving over to his mother.  
  
"Fred?" Angel asked.  
  
"What?" Fred asked.  
  
"You came down the stairs. You had blood and I grabbed.."  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"The spell, it worked. I feel it." Cordy said.  
  
"We have to be sure." Wesley said.  
  
"Get Lorne to read him." Gunn said.  
  
"Angel? Are you aware of what's happened?"  
  
Buffy helped Angel get to his feet through the bars. "I'm back." Angel put his hand on Buffy's cheek. "There's.. something else. Something worse than the.."  
  
"The Beast, yes. And we need your help to fight it. But first you have to sing for Lorne."  
  
"I.."  
  
"To prove it's really you."  
  
"Oh, right." Angel took Buffy's hand and cleared his throat. He began to sing. "Raindrops keep falling on my head.." He continued to hum the tune as Lorne stared at him.  
  
Lorne's face broke out in a huge smile. "Oh, yes. Yes! Sweet fancy B.J. Thomas, it's him. It's Angel."  
  
"You sure?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yes, yes! The aura's totally changed and the vibe screams soul." Lorne looked at Cordelia. "Oh, bless you and your beautiful landline to the PTB, honey."  
  
"He's back." Connor said, moving over to Buffy's side.  
  
"Then we can let him out." Fred said.  
  
"No. I'm staying in here. I'm doing what's best for the group." Angel said.  
  
"Since when is locking up one of the leaders what's best for the group?" Cordy asked.  
  
"Since when does your vision come with a guarantee? For all we know, this spell.. it's only temporary. And god forbid.. I can give orders from down in here and the new ones are: no more back-biting, fist-fighting, fraternizing, or vengeance. From now on you focus on one thing: making it out alive. Cause I'm only going to say this once. What Angelus told you was a lie. I haven't and will never give up on you. We'll get through this thing.." He looked at Buffy. "Together."  
  
Buffy realized that it wasn't Angel the minute he looked down at her and she smiled. Lilah looked around. "I can't believe we didn't crush you people years ago."  
  
"Wes, you and Fred get back to Lilah's books. We need any new information we can get on this new player. Lilah, make some coffee. Earn your keep around here. Lorne, I want you out working low-pro real estate. If this thing is bigger than the Beast, it's going to be laying down roots and it'll need square-footage."  
  
"Good to have you back, boss." Lorne said as he went upstairs.  
  
"In the meantime, Connor, Gunn, work damage control. Sweep the surrounding blocks for civilians. Save who you can." Connor stared at Angel. "Connor, it's me."  
  
"I know." Connor said as he and Gunn headed upstairs.  
  
"Cordy.."  
  
"No." Cordy said.  
  
"I didn't say anything."  
  
"True. But I thought I should tell you up front that I don't take orders from guys too scared to step out of their cages."  
  
"I made the right call. This way everybody stays safe."  
  
"And you don't have to look anyone in the eyes. Bonus."  
  
"I hate that you saw me like that."  
  
"You're not him. You think we don't get that but we do."  
  
"What if.. what if the spell doesn't last?"  
  
"The Powers need a champion, Angel. And obviously they need one pretty bad, the way things are going. Who knows? You might even be their only hope, Obi-Wan."  
  
"So how do I go up there?"  
  
"Easy. Leave him and what you did inside the cage." Buffy said. She took out the key and tossed it to Cordy who opened the locks. The door opened and he stepped out. Cordy slipped the keys back into her pocket and Buffy took Angel's hand.  
  
"You're not Angelus." Cordy said.  
  
As she turned to lead him up the stairs, he yanked her violently back toward him. She screamed at the sight of his vampiric visage. Buffy smiled. "Guess again."  
  
Cordelia kicked Angelus in the gut and decked Buffy with a right hook, knocking her and Angelus away from her. She ran into the cage and pulled the door shut, locking herself inside. Angelus helped Buffy up and then reached through the bars and seized Cordy, yanking her forward and slamming her head into the steel. She dropped to the floor, unconscious.  
  
"Stay down." He said. He looked at Buffy. "Great to be out."  
  
"It's great to have you out." She smashed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. "Come on, it's time to play." They walked upstairs to find Fred flipping through ancient parchments, continuing her research. She heard a noise and turned to find Angelus and Buffy in the doorway, holding hands.  
  
"Sorry if I scared you." Angelus said.  
  
"Angel, I thought.." Fred said.  
  
"Cordy and Buffy let me out. Well, actually, I asked them to be let out. You know what? Never mind." He turned to go.  
  
"No, wait." Angelus turned back to her. "I'm the one who's sorry. After everything you've been through, I.."  
  
"Has been a little rough." Angelus put his arm around Buffy's shoulders.  
  
"On all of us. The stress is."  
  
"I know I could use a drink." Fred looked at him sharply. "Now you see, that's what I was afraid of. For the rest of your life you'll only see this.. evil thing."  
  
"You're my friend, Angel. Past is past and done is done."  
  
"Thanks, Fred. Can I get a hug?" The sound of breaking glass echoed from elsewhere in the hotel. Fred turned, wondering what it was and when she turned back, the room was empty. Angelus and Buffy had gone to investigate.  
  
Wesley looked up from Lilah and the broken china. "Angel. I thought you were confined.."  
  
"Change in plans. Buffy actually talked me out of staying down there. Now we've got our own mission." Angelus grabbed his and Buffy's coats as Gunn and Connor descended the stairs and entered the lobby.  
  
"Which is?" Connor asked.  
  
"Too dangerous, Connor." Buffy said. "Afraid you can't go with us. We have to go save the world." She paused and looked at Angelus, then walked out the door with a flourish. As soon as they were a block from the hotel, Angelus grabbed Buffy by the waist and hauled her up, twirling around in a circle. "Freedom!"  
  
"American." Buffy laughed.  
  
"Not likely. I'm Irish. Speaking of, you want some Irish in you?"  
  
Buffy smiled widely. "Later. I think you have something to do." She looked at the chaos around them and motioned towards the running people. He smiled and kissed her, setting her back on the ground. They walked through fires that burned everywhere. Chaos reigned. Vampires and demons prowled the streets, picking off anyone they could find. Angelus and Buffy made their way through the carnage, Angelus shaking his head in disgust. "What?"  
  
"It's like shooting fish in a barrel. Where's the fun in that?" Angelus asked. He grabbed a man sitting on a bench only to find he was already dead. He dropped the body as a little girl ran past. Buffy seized her and held her up to Angelus only to find she was a vampire. "What happened to pedestrians? Human pedestrians? Is there no fast food left in Los Angeles?"  
  
"Well, there was a whole hotel full of live ones. Wanna go back?"  
  
Angelus smiled and danced Buffy in a circle, dipping her low and kissing her neck. "My blonde goddess of evil." They walked hand in hand back to the hotel. Of course the idiots had left the venerable ones at the hotel.  
  
"Divine intervention? Trust me. You have more chances of winning the lottery six times in a row. I had the numbers done." Lilah said.  
  
"It just makes me question.." Cordy said, but she didn't get to finish.  
  
"What's it all for, huh?" Angelus asked. "I would, too, if I were about to die."  
  
Lilah and Cordelia looked up at the balcony and reacted as Angelus leapt off of it toward them. Lilah raised her gun and fired as Angelus somersaulted to the floor. He was too quick and the rounds impacted harmlessly against the far wall. She dropped the empty gun in frustration as Cordelia raised her crossbow and fired. Her aim was true and the bolt flew directly at Angelus, but he caught it in mid air.  
  
"This time.." He whipped the bolt back at her and it embedded itself in Cordelia's thigh. She dropped to the floor with a scream. "You stay down. As for you, luscious thing, I mean, you were going to let me out of that cage so, let's see, I'll give you a 10-second start? Ten, nine.." Lilah didn't hesitate. She bolted down a side corridor and out of sight. "Now there's a girl who takes advantage of her opportunities." Gasping in pain on the floor, Cordelia reloaded the crossbow and fired. This time the bolt went wide and slammed into the wall next to Angelus' head. "Don't be jealous, kitten. She's just the warm-up. I'll save some the good stuff for you."  
  
"Where's Buffy?" Cordy gasped.  
  
"She's here."  
  
"She's not.."  
  
"Dead? Nah. I have other plans for her." Angelus turned and walked off down the hall. "Eight, nine.."  
  
Buffy walked out of the shadows. "She went this way."  
  
Angelus took her hand and together, they stalked the halls hunting Lilah. "Lilah.. oh, Lilah.." He saw her dart behind a corner and he grabbed Buffy's neck, making it look like her had her in a death grip. He poked his head around the corner. "Boo!" Lilah raised her axe to strike but he easily wrenched it from her grasp and knocked her to the floor. "Oh, Lilah, I had such high hopes for us. Your devious mind, my killer instincts.. what a team we would have made."  
  
"Could still make." Lilah said.  
  
"Always were a closer. Unfortunately, with the new big scary in town, you're just not looking so tough anymore. And I'm a winning-team kind of guy. Also, I've got plans for my wife here. Couple that with the recent people shortage, you know you're lucky I'm letting you yak this long." He dropped Buffy who pretended to be out of it and lept at Lilah. She raised her legs, using his own momentum to hurl him up and over a nearby stairway banister. Angelus tumbled head over heels to the bottom of the stairs as Lilah struggled to her feet and pushed a supply cart down the stairs on top of him, then immediately turned and limped down the hall in the opposite direction as fast as she could.  
  
Buffy got to her feet and walked down the stairs. She grabbed Angelus and hauled him up. "You are so stupid. Come on, let's kill this bitch and get the hell out of here." Angelus shook his head, clearing his vision and then followed Buffy down the corridors. 


	54. First Date

Chapter 54  
  
Meanwhile, Back in Sunnydale:  
  
"It was, uh, extraordinary good luck, of course. And.. and, uh, training.. years of training." Giles said to Faith and the other girls as they patrolled the cemetery. "Chao-Ahn, keep up. You're new here, Chao-Ahn, so take note. Remember about training. But I honestly feel the largest part of it was instinct. Instinct and-and reflexes. There's a sort of wary watchfulness I've developed over the years. It's like another sense.." Suddenly Giles was cut off by a blur tackling him to the ground.  
  
"SPIKE" Faith yelled.  
  
"HEY!" Both men yelled. Then as Spike said, "You're not the First!" Giles said, "You're not in pain!"  
  
"What?" Giles asked.  
  
"Anya said you were the First. Said you were evil. You're supposed to be all go-through-able." Spike said, walking over to Faith's side.  
  
"Then what the hell did you tackle me for, you berk? What's that supposed to do?"  
  
"I, uh, I didn't think of that."  
  
"More importantly, you just hit me. Why didn't your chip go off?"  
  
"Yeah, well.."  
  
"Well, uh, when we were at the Initiative.." Faith said.  
  
"There was a choice."  
  
"Right. Either repair the chip, or remove it."  
  
"You had it remov.. You removed the chip?" Giles asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Had to make a choice." Spike said.  
  
"It really is ok."  
  
"What's a chip?" Amanda asked.  
  
"They removed the chip?" Kennedy asked.  
  
Suddenly behind them, Chao-Ahn said something in Chinese. Everyone turned to look at her before she smiled and followed them. Faith looked at Giles who was scowling at her. "What?"  
  
"What do you think Buffy will think of this?" Giles asked.  
  
"Giles, it was my choice. Not B's. Lighten up, ok. Spike isn't bad."  
  
"Yes, well.."  
  
"No Giles. I hate to bring up old arguments, but I'm not Buffy. I understand that she's the good Slayer and I'm not exactly shiny perfect, but I'm trying. I really am."  
  
"I know Faith. Just don't know if it was a wise decision."  
  
"Can we just drop this for tonight? I want to get back to Buffy and Angel's house and sleep."  
  
"Speaking of, have you heard anything from them?" Spike asked, walking up next to Faith.  
  
"No. We've tried calling, but no one seems to be there. Buffy said everything was fine when I talked to her last, but that was a while ago. She sounded really bad. I guess that's cause Angel is Angelus right now. Never a good things for B."  
  
"You don't think that she's insane.."  
  
"NO! Not Buffy. She can handle this. Besides, he in a cage. She'll call when things get too bad. I just know she will. In the meantime, someone's got to watch that high school. I called Principal Wood and told him I'd fill in for Buffy. He agreed really quickly. I guess it's bad."  
Faith made sure no one was looking as she sneaked into Principal Wood's office. It was the middle of the afternoon and she had been putting this off for a while. She walked over to the desk and rummaged through some files before she gave up and looked around the room.  
  
"Now if I were a sign of being evil, where would I be?" Faith muttered. She noticed a wall cabinet and walked up to it. Before she could open it, Principal Wood walked into the office.  
  
"Uh.. Faith?" he asked.  
  
Faith wheeled around. "Principal Wood! It's you."  
  
"You looking for something?"  
  
"File folders and mechanical pencils. Well, I want to write on a file folder with a mechanical pencil."  
  
"The supply cabinet in the outer office had those things."  
  
"Oh, this isn't a supply cabinet? My bad. Ok, thanks." She started to walk to the door, but he stopped her.  
  
"Hey Faith.."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Um, what're you doing tonight?"  
  
"Um.. Watching a reality show about a millionaire."  
  
"Well, then, I'd, um.. I'd like to take you out to dinner, if that's all right with you. I mean, you don't have to. I'm certainly not saying come to dinner if you want Buffy to keep having a job here." He chuckled then realized what he had said. "You know, I may have to make up a document saying I didn't just say that and have you sign it."  
  
Faith smiled a bit. This was the first guy since Spike that had been sincere about taking her on a date. It wasn't just another guy who she wanted to sleep with for kicks and then ditch in the morning. Maybe he was just the guy to help her get over Spike. After all, they weren't legally married. All she had was the ring and the certificate from a drive up chapel. "Sure. I'd be happy to have dinner with you."  
  
"Great. I'll draw up the paperwork."  
  
Faith nodded and walked out of the office. The minute she was home, she called Willow into the living room. "Hey Faith, what's up?" The red head asked, setting down a basket of laundry.  
  
"Can I talk to you?" Faith asked nervously.  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"Um.. A guy."  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"No, Principal Wood." Willow stared at her. "I know! I know! Technically I'm supposed to be with Spike, but that's over now. We're just friends. I still love him, but we can't be together like that. He hurt me and I don't trust myself with him like that anymore. It's really complicated, but anyway.. So I was checking out Principal Wood's office today and he came in and asked me out. To dinner."  
  
"Wow."  
  
"Yeah. It was all really quick though."  
  
"So, he asked you to dinner?" Willow prodded as she folded socks.  
  
"Yeah. Isn't that weird? I mean, he's a Principal. He's a young, hot Principal with earrings, but he's a Principal. Why do you think he asked me out? I mean, he could be interested, right?"  
  
"Yeah, sure. You're a frisky vixen."  
  
"Or, it could be work-related. Maybe I'm getting a job there for doing such a good job there. Or, maybe he knows that I suspect he's up to something, and he's taking me out to kill me."  
  
"Well, you'll have to dress for the ambiguity."  
  
"You know, it's not even that he's acting that suspicious. It's just.. there he is. On the Hellmouth. All day, every day. That's got to be like being showered with evil. Only from underneath."  
  
"Not really a shower."  
  
"A bidet. Like a bidet of evil."  
  
"Faith, if he's really interested.." Willow smiled. "Are you interested back?"  
  
Faith looked away, embarrassed. "I don't know. He's good-looking, and he's.. he's solid, he's smart, he's normal. So, not the wicked energy, which is nice cause I don't want to only be attracted to wicked energy. Or what if he is wicked, in which case, is that why I'm attracted to him?"  
  
"I'm gonna wait for that sentence to come around again before I jump on."  
  
"You know what? Yeah, I mean I think I like him. And he'd be good for me."  
  
"Right. Help you move on."  
  
"From Spike, yeah."  
  
"No, I-I meant move on from this imposed super-self-reliance. Let somebody get close."  
  
"Oh." Faith was about to say more, but the door opening cur her off. "Hey, someone's here." It was Xander. He had been back for a week now. There had been a small update on what had been going on up there. Angelus was back and residing in a cage in the basement. Buffy was a complete mental case. She wasn't talking to anyone and she had offered herself to Angelus for information. Apparently, she and Xander had had a fight and eventually Xander didn't want to deal with the tension between everyone there, so he had come back to Sunnydale.  
  
"Guys, guess what happened!" Xander said.  
  
"Faith got a date!" Willow said.  
  
"No! I did!" He looked at Faith. "Fine! Way to steal my thunder."  
  
"Sorry. I thought you were with Cordelia." Faith said.  
  
"I don't know what Cordy and I have. I figured, why not play the field while I'm waiting to find out."  
  
"Well, if it makes you feel better, it's Principal Wood, and I think he's aligned with the First." Faith said.  
  
"Also, like eleven years older than you, right?"  
  
"Which is like 100 years younger than your type!" Willow said.  
  
"Yay. Someone who doesn't remember the Industrial Revolution." Faith said.  
  
"I think they're gonna end up making out." Willow mocked. She held a pair of socks to her chest lovingly. "'Oh, Principal Wood,' she'll gasp, 'I love your lack of wicked energy.'"  
  
Faith threw a pair of socks at Willow. "Watch it, or I'm gonna make you talk about your new girlfriend who you hold hands with under the dinner table and think we don't notice."  
  
"How about yours Xander? Is she evil?"  
  
"Well, she's interested in me, so there's a good chance, but I'm hoping for the best. We're going for coffee. She has a kayak.." Xander was cut off by Giles and Chao-Ahn coming through the front door, loaded with overflowing shopping bags.  
  
"Dear lord, I hate that mall. The shop assistants are rude. And everything in the Food Court is sticky." Giles said.  
  
"Looks like you found her some stuff." Willow said.  
  
"Oh, hello. Yes."  
  
"That's gotta be rough. Getting just like pulled out of your home, being told you're a potential slayer, not being able to bring anything." Xander said.  
  
"Yes, and the language barrier is formidable. I was concerned that my Mandarin is a little thin, but as it turns out, she speaks Cantonese, which is thinner. But we muddled through, and, as I suspected, ice cream is a universal language."  
  
Chao-Ahn said something in Chinese and Faith smiled and nodded. She looked at Giles and asked through closed teeth, "What'd she say?"  
  
"She's grateful to be in the land of plenty." Giles turned back to Chao-Ahn and said slowly, "Let's, um, go and put away your new clothes." He picked up bags and walked upstairs. Chao-Ahn nodded and followed.  
  
"Hey, Willow, do you think you can do a computer check on Principal Wood? See if you can find anything out." Faith asked.  
  
"Yeah, sure. Want me to check your girl out while I'm at it, Xand?" Willow asked.  
  
"Nope." Xander said. "I'm going in blind. I'm gonna be an optimist about this. Why go looking for trouble? If it's gonna find you, it's gonna find you."  
  
"And on that note, I'm going to go borrow some clothes from Buffy."  
  
"Um, Faith?" Willow asked.  
  
"Don't you think you're a little bit big for Buffy's clothes?"  
  
"Nah. Besides, I like skin tight, remember?" Faith walked upstairs and started to raid Buffy's closet. She had left a lot of stuff because she already had a ton of clothes in LA. Angel spoiled her. Of course, he wasn't exactly Angel at the moment. "Poor Buffy. It must really be doing a number on her heart and soul." Finally, Faith found a white shirt that she thought would look good. "Damn it Buffy!" There was a red stain on the shoulder. Faith sighed and walked down to the bathroom where Anya was playing with her hair. "Hey Anya?"  
  
The ex-demon turned around. "Yeah?"  
  
"Can you help me with a stain?"  
  
"Sure." Anya yanked the shirt away from Faith and started to scrub at the red stain.  
  
"Hey, you ok there?"  
  
"I'm fine. I don't think it's really a date. That's what I think."  
  
"Well, it is unclear. That's why I chose a top that says, you know, I'm comfortable in a stodgy office or a swinging casual setting.. or killing you, you know, if you're a demon."  
  
"It also says I sometimes get blood on my shoulder." Anya looked at the shirt again. "Or it might be pizza." She handed the shirt to Faith. "I don't think I can fix it."  
  
"Thanks for trying."  
  
"And I wasn't talking about your date anyway. I was talking about this sham date of Xander's. I think it's part of a plan to make me jealous."  
  
"Well, it's not working."  
  
"Are you nuts? Of course it's working. Observe my.. my bitter ranting. Hear the shrill edge of hysteria in my voice."  
  
"Um, I should really go find something else to wear."  
  
"Fine, go. Leave me here to stew in my impotent rage." Faith stopped and turned to look at Anya. She was going to try and say something comforting, but Anya stopped her. "I'm also gonna pee, so you should probably go."  
  
Faith shook her head and stepped out of the bathroom into the hallway to find Spike walking down the hall. They were face to face. Faith stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw him and tried to cover herself with the stained shirt.  
  
"You look nice." Spike said.  
  
"Oh, thanks." Faith looked down at the lacy camisole she was wearing. "Uh, traditionally, one wears something over this."  
  
"Heard you got a date."  
  
"Well, it's unclear. I mean, I have this whole theory about a job. Or he's evil."  
  
"Faith, I'm all right."  
  
"This isn't me trying to get back at you. You don't have to.."  
  
"What? Be noble? I'm not. Really, I'm all right. Think I still dream of a crypt for two with a white picket fence? My eyes are clear."  
  
"Good. I'm glad. Thank you."  
  
"Never much cared for picket fences, anyway. Bloody dangerous."  
  
"You should try this too. The going out thing, I mean."  
  
"Oh, yeah, right. There's always girls who like the look.. bad boy, you know." Spike nodded. "Does it for some of them."  
  
"Yeah, I can see that. I should go. I don't wanna be late." She nodded and then walked around Spike and into Buffy's room. She shut the door and went to find another shirt. This was going to be one interesting night. 


	55. First Date part 2

Chapter 55  
  
Faith followed Principal Wood through the darkened streets of Sunnydale. She kept looking for ambushes or the glint of a weapon from Wood. Speaking of, he turned into a dark alley and watched her as she reluctantly followed.  
  
"This isn't right." Faith said as she stopped walking.  
  
"I know it doesn't look promising, but I swear this place is great. It's the best kept secret in town. It's just right down this way." Wood said.  
  
"Well, it is one of the nicer dark alleys."  
  
"I promise you, it's just a little bit further."  
  
"Ok.." As they walked down the alley, a vampire stepped out in front of them. Then two more stepped up behind them, growling. Faith started fighting them immediately. There was a horde of them now. She managed to punch them and kick them away from her one by one until she had an opportunity to get her stake out of her pocket. She staked one, then another, then another. "You set me up you son of a.." Faith looked at Wood and found him fighting off two vampires without her help. "What?"  
  
Principal Wood overpowered one of the vampires and staked him. Then he knocked the last one to the ground, staking him too. He flipped the stake in his hand, then returned it to his belt holster as he walked back to Faith.  
  
"I guess we should talk." Wood said, holding his hand out to Faith. She accepted and stared at him. "The restaurant's right there." Faith nodded and followed him in. Once they were seated and had their orders done, Faith shot right into it.  
  
"This place is nice. How the hell did you do that?"  
  
"I've had a little practice." Wood chuckled. "Never took on two at once before, but I have taken out a vamp here or there. And some demons."  
  
"So, you're freelance?"  
  
"Hmm.. Freelance. I guess that's a good way to put it."  
  
"And you know who Buffy and I are then?"  
  
"You're the Slayers."  
  
"Right."  
  
"There's only supposed to be one though."  
  
"Yeah, long story. Short version: Buffy died for a minute, Kendra was called. Kendra died, I was called."  
  
"This is a first right?"  
  
"As far as we know, yeah." Faith took a sip of her wine and then looked back at Wood. "Ok, um, so I'm guessing that you don't work in an office 15 feet above the Hellmouth because you enjoy educational administration?"  
  
"Well, I actually do enjoy the work, but yeah. Yeah, you're right. I maneuvered myself into that school, that office.. just like I maneuvered you there. The Hellmouth draws the bad things in close, and now we're headed for something big, Faith. Really big, and I need to be here when it happens. I want to help."  
  
"So, y-you didn't hire Buffy for her counseling skills?"  
  
He laughed and Faith glared at him. "Sorry. She's good."  
  
"Wh-why didn't you tell us about you?"  
  
"I wasn't sure about things yet."  
  
"You didn't think you could trust us."  
  
"No, no. No, I wasn't sure I was ready yet.. ready to jump into this fight."  
  
"And now you are?"  
  
"Well, now the fight is starting, or starting to start, and I don't have time to worry anymore. I have to do something."  
  
"So, you knew who Buffy and I were before you even came here."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How? How do you know about Slayers?"  
  
"Right. Ok. See, when I was a little boy, my mother was one. The one, actually.. the Slayer."  
  
"Your mother.. Wow, I didn't know that any slayers had children. Except Buffy."  
  
"Well, I don't know of any others." He paused. "Wait, Buffy?"  
  
"Yeah. You didn't know about that huh?"  
  
"No. Did the kid die or something?"  
  
"No.. No, you know him actually."  
  
"I do?"  
  
"Connor isn't her cousin. He's her son. Her and Angel's son."  
  
"Wait, he's 17 years old. She had to have been.." He paused to count on his fingers. "Four when she had him."  
  
"No, she was 21 actually."  
  
"Now I'm confused."  
  
"It's a confusing story. The gist of it is: Connor was taken from her when he was a baby earlier last year. This vampire hunter named Holtz was after Angel, looking to get revenge I think. He took Connor into a hell dimension and less than a week later, the kid came back a full grown 17 year old complete with raging hormones and parental distrust."  
  
"A vampire hunter was out to kill Angel? Why? He seems like a normal Joe."  
  
Faith started to laugh. Wood stared at her. "Sorry. Just, Angel's not normal at all. He's a vampire, but a good one. He has a soul.. Had technically. He's currently without one in LA and being held up in a cage downstairs. That's a whole other story. Anyways, he also had this ring that allows him to go in the sun and be indestructible. I'm hoping B took that little toy away from him before he became Angelus again."  
  
"Angelus?"  
  
"That was Angel before he go his soul back. The Scourge of Europe. He was the most vicious vampire ever to walk. That is until he got his soul back. Now he atones for his past sins and is married to Buffy."  
  
"Vampires can't have kids."  
  
"Tell that to the PTB. They're the ones who set that up! It's all in a big prophecy. But what about you? You and Connor have something in common. What's with your mother? She was a Slayer so that means.."  
  
"She was killed when I was four. I still remember her, but it's a little.. fuzzy? You know?"  
  
"Um, something got her.. a demon?"  
  
"A vampire. Oh, man, I went through this whole 'avenging son' phase in my twenties, but I never found him. So, now I just dust as many of them as I can find. I figure, eventually I'll get him. That's probably why we got jumped outside. I'm not very popular with the bumpy-forehead-ed crowd, and I bet you and Buffy aren't either."  
  
"No. Not most of them. Um, so, do you have any slayer powers?" Faith laughed. "I'm sorry, I-I'm just so floored. I-I have no idea what to ask."  
  
"No, I don't have powers. No super-strength or mythic responsibilities. I'm just a guy with a few skills cause her watcher took me in and raised me. Does Connor have any slayer powers?"  
  
"Slayer powers and vampire powers. Super strength, super speed, super hearing.. That one's a bitch. Can't say anything bad about him without him hearing about it. But that proves it! Buffy will be so psyched!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She's always had this theory that Slayers and relationships never go hand in hand! Hell, even I had the same theory! But ha! She'll be floored when I tell her! She's not the first Slayer to have a kid!"  
  
"Connor and I will have to start a club then. I can't believe this!"  
  
Faith nodded. "But, you decided to tell me?"  
  
"That's right."  
  
"In a darkened, little romantic French restaurant?"  
  
"Um, yeah.. Yeah, I'm not really sure how that happened, but yeah." Faith laughed. "What's your story? I know Buffy's story, but I don't know yours."  
  
"It's not that interesting."  
  
"Impossible. Just watching you hints that you've had an interesting life."  
  
"Actually, I'm afraid that if I tell you, it'll scare you off."  
  
"I'm the son of a Slayer and I fight demons and vampires. My office is over the Hellmouth. Bring it on."  
  
Faith smiled and blew out a breath. "Ok. I won't give you the sob story about how my dad was never there and my mother was an alcoholic. I'm from Boston. That's where I first found out I was a Slayer. It was an easy out for me. I hated who I was and then WHAM, I'm something so powerful that not even the normal world could handle me anymore. Less than a year into it, I pissed off a vampire named Kakistos. He killed my Watcher in front of me and was planning on doing the same to me. So, I ran. Came here to Sunnydale where I had heard that Buffy was residing. She helped me out of that mess and Giles became my watcher. He was already Buffy's watcher and she had this whole little cadre we so fondly call the Scooby Gang and she had Angel, so I felt way out of place. I was really wild back then. And then one night, I uh.. I killed a guy. It was an accident, but it scarred me for life. He jumped out of nowhere and I thought he was a vampire. Buffy tried to stop me, but it was too late. It was all downhill from there. I hid the body and pretended like nothing had happened. Buffy and her gang tried to help me, but I refused help. I went to the Mayor and asked him for a job because his vamp lackey had been dusted."  
  
The waitress came with their food. Wood thanked her and then turned back to Faith. "The Mayor had a vampire lackey?"  
  
"He was evil. Had a lot of vamps actually. He was the one who built Sunnydale."  
  
"So he was old. Was he a vampire?"  
  
"No. He just sold his soul to a demon so he could ascend into a demon 100 years later. Buffy's high school graduation. But that's further on in the story. Anyway, the Mayor took me in and he was like a father to me. He knew just what to say. I did all his dirty work. I killed demons and the occasional human if he needed it. I tried to take Angel from Buffy and make him Angelus, but it didn't work. They just tricked me into telling them what I knew about the Mayor's ascension. Well, it came, but I wasn't there. I had poisoned Angel with a drug called the Killer of the Dead. The only cure was Slayer's blood and Buffy had been determined to make it mine. We fought and she stuck a knife in my gut. I fell off the roof and landed in a 6 month coma. While I was gone, the school was blown up with the Mayor in it, Angel had skipped town, and Buffy and her friends had gone on with their lives. It pissed me off. When I came back, I wanted to hurt Buffy and her friends for forgetting me. I took over Buffy's body and wreaked as much havoc as I could on their lives. I even went as far as sleeping with Buffy's then boyfriend Riley. Buffy got her body back and I went running to LA where a demon law firm hired me to take Angel out. I couldn't do it, so he put me on a path of redemption. Buffy got wind that I had tried to kill her ex-honey and she came running. We got into it and I ended up turning myself over to the cops."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I was wanted for some murders that the police knew I had committed."  
  
"Isn't that 25 to life?"  
  
"Yeah, but that law firm I told you about? They sprung me two years later. I don't know why and I don't know how, but they did. I came back here looking for Buffy and found a guy that I ended up in a serious relationship with. We had a nasty fight and he tried.. It got rough and we both left. That's also the year Buffy was pregnant and having Connor. He was born in late June last year. And now, here we are. Buffy's mostly forgiven me and she's helping me with my redemption. She's like my sister."  
  
The waitress came back up with their desserts Wood had ordered when she had brought their main course. Wood watched Faith take a bite of her dessert. "What do you think?"  
  
"Oh, my God! Mmm. Oh, my God. That might be the best thing I've ever had in my mouth." Faith said.  
  
"Isn't it good? They soak the pears in brandy. Here, you need a bite with sauce." He lifted his fork to her mouth and hand fed her.  
  
She looked up as a shadow was cast over their table. "Mmm.. What are you doing here?"  
  
Spike stood there staring at her. Wood looked confused. "Is there a problem?"  
  
"It's Xander." Spike said.  
  
Faith's scowl melted into one of worry and she stood up quickly. "Uh, we need to go."  
  
"Ok." Wood left some money with the check and they ran out to his car.  
  
"What's wrong with Xander?"  
  
"His date is evil." Spike said with a slight grin.  
  
Faith just rolled her eyes. "Everybody's squeeze is evil lately."  
  
"Where're we going?" Wood asked.  
  
"The high school." Spike said, climbing in back.  
  
As they peeled out, Faith looked at Spike. "You sure he's in the high school?"  
  
"Willow did a locator spell. Usual stuff."  
  
"I'm not surprised. That school's at the center of everything." Wood said.  
  
"How much longer till we get there?" Faith asked.  
  
"Ten minutes." After a small, uncomfortable silence, Wood glanced in the rearview mirror. "So, how do you two know each other?"  
  
"He works with me. Uh, you know, in the struggle against evil." Faith answered all too quickly.  
  
"Mm, cool."  
  
Again with the uncomfortable silence. Faith almost wished that this date had never happened. Or at least, Xander's date had never happened. That way Spike would never have interrupted HER date with this guy who genuinely liked her. Why? She was still sorting that part out. She hadn't been around Wood much. Only when she decided to go to work with Buffy and spend time with Spike to make sure he was ok. In fact, they hadn't ever talked that much. The only time she had talked to him before she took over Buffy's job was when she had run into him in the hallways on her way out from seeing Spike. Faith had made up the excuse that she was going to see Buffy and he had asked her how she was. That was it. It hadn't been more than a five minute conversation. Of course, five minutes was all it took sometimes.  
  
When they reached the high school, Wood unlocked the front door and they were all at a dead run. Faith figured that if Xander's date was evil and at the high school, there was only one place they could be: over the seal in the basement. Faith was the first to slam through the door. Xander was strung up to the wheel Spike had been on and there was a girl standing next to the seal.  
  
"Xander!" Faith yelled. He looked over groggily. Instead of going to cut him down, Faith attacked the girl. They went down in a tangle of limbs, punching and kicking.  
  
"Faith!" Xander croaked.  
  
Spike and Wood burst into the room. The girl jumped away from Faith when Spike grabbed her around the waist. She attacked Spike and kicked Faith away, knocking her to the ground. The girl pushed Spike down and started strangling him. Suddenly, Spike's face changed into his demon countenance.  
  
"He's a vampire." Wood said.  
  
"Oh God! Hurry!" Xander said.  
  
Wood stopped staring at Spike and went to help Xander. He cut the ropes that held Xander's hands to the wheel, but the seal was already beginning to open. Across the room, Faith knocked Xander's date off of Spike. She looked over just as a Turok-Han was reaching out of the seal as it opened. Wood escaped its grasp as he finally got Xander down from the wheel. The seal slammed shut, cutting off the arm of the Turok-Han that was reaching out. Wood set Xander down against a wall.  
  
Faith and Xander's date were still fighting, struggling over possession of a sword. The girl knocked Faith across the room, but Faith held on to the sword. Spike engaged in fighting the girl, but he was getting his butt kicked. Faith pulled the girl away from Spike and cut off her head with the sword. As the girl's head was separated from her body, the demon's true form was revealed as a gruesome pinkish creature with hairy shoulders and stitches all over its head and nasty black shark teeth on its lipless jaws.  
  
"Hey." Faith said, walking over to Spike's side to make sure he was all right. She held his hand, but saw Wood staring at them as she comforted Spike. She stood and went to Xander. Wood and Spike followed.  
  
"I think your friend's going to be ok." Wood said.  
  
"Hey Xander, I'm here." Faith said.  
  
"So, how's your date going?" Xander asked, leaning heavily on Faith.  
  
Faith looked at Wood, who was staring at Spike. Spike glanced from Faith to Wood. Faith looked back at Xander. "Not so good anymore."  
  
When they got back to Buffy's house, Faith led Xander inside. They had taken him to the emergency room to get him stitched up. Anya, Willow, Andrew, and Dawn were all sitting in the living room.  
  
"What happened?" Willow asked.  
  
"What do you think happened?" Xander asked. "Another demon woman was attracted to me. I'm going gay. I've decided I'm turning gay. Willow, gay me up. Come on, let's gay."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me. Just tell me what to do. I'm mentally undressing Scott Bakula right now. That's a start, isn't it?"  
  
"Captain Archer.." Andrew said wistfully.  
  
"Come on, let's get this gay show on the gay road. Help me out here."  
  
"What if you just start attracting male demons?" Faith asked with a smirk.  
  
"Clem always liked you." Dawn said.  
  
"It would serve you right." Anya said.  
  
"Children, enough." Giles said from the corner of the room.  
  
"I'd need some stylish clothes." Xander said.  
  
"Enough! Have you learned nothing from tonight's assorted chaos? There isn't time for fun and games and quips about orientation." Giles held up some gruesome flashcards. "These.. these aren't a joke. This.. this happens. Girls are going to die. We may die. Buffy's not here. She's dealing with Angelus and another apocalypse in Los Angeles. All we've got right now is Faith and the girls waiting for her to die. It's time to get serious." Giles huffed out of the room.  
Later that night, Faith sat alone on the living room couch. Spike walked in and sat next to her. "Did anybody tell you about what happened around here tonight?"  
  
"Willow did. The first is back in the mix." Faith said.  
  
"It, uh, it talked to the little boy. Said it wasn't time for me yet. I should move out. Leave town before it is time for me."  
  
"No, you have to stay."  
  
"You've got another demon fighter now."  
  
"That's not why I need you here."  
  
"Is that right? Why's that then?"  
  
"Because I'm not ready for you to not be here."  
  
"And the Principal? How's he fit in?"  
  
Faith stared at him. "I don't know." With that, the dark haired Slayer stood and walked out of the room. 


	56. Get It Done

Chapter 56  
  
Buffy and Angelus walked through the streets of LA and headed back to their place. They were staying in a warehouse near Santa Monica. They didn't want anyone to know where they were and this would be the last place they would think to look. LA was still a huge wreck and there were demons everywhere.  
  
"This is paradise." Buffy said, looking out a window with a cruel smile on her face.  
  
"I'm glad you like it." Angelus said, watching her. "Because I sure as hell do."  
  
"It's not the destruction you like." Buffy stopped and grabbed a demon's neck. The thing had tried to attack them earlier and they had brought him in for torture. Now he was getting annoying with his wheezy breath, so the Slayer snapped its neck in two and the head popped off. Angelus smiled. "It's the person causing it."  
  
"Which person would that be?"  
  
"The one you've been riding for a while."  
  
"Speaking of.." Angelus grabbed her around the waist and hauled her to his chest before slamming her back against the wall. "We've gone all day without any."  
  
"That's because we were enjoying the sights." Buffy watched a couple run down the street as five vampires chased after them. She smiled. "Tourists." Angelus was working his way down her neck to her collarbone. "Is sex all you can think about? Geez, no wonder Darla left you in that burning barn."  
  
He stopped and punched her. "Don't talk about Darla that way."  
  
Buffy's face hardened and she kicked Angelus in the stomach. He went crashing into the a stack of wooden crates. She followed and pinned him there with her hand tightly around his throat. "Thought you would have learned not to hit. I chained you up last time." Buffy ran a fingernail down Angelus' cheekbone and drew blood. He winced a little, but then smiled as Buffy licked it up. "Just enjoy the carnage baby."  
  
"Not gonna happen right now." He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her against the wall. His face changed and he growled low in his chest. He knew it turned Buffy on. She smiled and yanked his head down to hers. They kissed fiercely and both smiled when they heard a whimper from the corner.  
  
Angelus broke away from Buffy and walked over to the woman sitting in the corner. She was chained up and there was a small cut on her forehead. Buffy had brought her in as a present for Angelus, mocking what Darla had done the night Angelus had first received his soul. The woman whimpered again and shrunk back in fear from Angelus. He smiled and crouched in front of her, sweeping a strand of hair form her face. "Are you scared?" The woman nodded. "Don't worry. You won't have to worry about it much longer."  
  
"W-w-why?" the woman asked.  
  
"Because I'm going to kill you."  
  
"Please no! No! I don't know what you want or who you are! I have a family! Please don't kill me!"  
  
"Shh. Hush now. You're not going to die right now."  
  
"Please!"  
  
"I have some business to take care of." He stood and turned to Buffy who was sitting on a crate watching him intently. She jumped down and Angelus crushed her mouth in a fierce kiss. They sunk to the floor and the woman started to cry knowing that no one was going to be a hero and save her this time. The hero was now in front of her having sex with the enemy. The hero had given up on being a part of the Justice League.  
Faith sat at Buffy's desk staring at two teenage boys. Principal Wood stood behind her glaring. "This may mean more than you think." Faith said.  
  
"Is that so?" Wood asked. "Because I think what we have here is a couple of chuckle-heads who thought that a cafeteria fist fight would impress. I'm not impressed. Faith, are you impressed?" Faith pursed her lips and shook her head disapprovingly. "Still, I'm gonna cut you guys some slack this time." He made a gesture toward the door with his thumb and the kids left. He turned to Faith. "Third fight this week, and it's just getting worse." Wood started to close window blinds and walked to the front of Buffy's desk. "Plus, a rise in vandalism. Three students missing. Tell me something, Faith, in your professional opinion it's started, hasn't it?" He closed another set of window blinds. "The Hellmouth has begun its semi-annual percolation. Usually, it blows around May from what I know."  
  
"Was it like this before? I mean, it just seems to me as if things are getting bad faster than we thought."  
  
"We're a little ahead of schedule."  
  
"I can't say I'm too surprised. I knew I signed on for something, but, Faith, I'm just a guy. Granted, a cool and sexy vampire-fighting guy, but still."  
  
"Don't forget 'snappy dresser.'"  
  
"Thank you. But this is gonna get bigger than me."  
  
"Yeah, it is."  
  
"That's why I've decided to give you this." He reached down under Buffy's desk and pulled up a large leather duffel bag, setting it on the desk with a clunk.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"An emergency kit. This bag belonged to my mother."  
  
"A Slayer keepsake. I-I couldn't."  
  
"Well, you have to. Technically, it should have been passed down directly to you or Buffy through the years, but after my mother died.. I guess I just couldn't part with it."  
  
"Wow!"  
  
"I don't know what's inside, exactly, but I know it has something to do with her power. Well, your and Buffy's power now."  
  
"I-I don't know what to say."  
  
"Try saying, 'Thank you, Principal Wood.'"  
  
"Thank you Principal Wood."  
  
"Ah, call me Robin. Now, I'd like to see where you work."  
  
"Uh, here now, actually." She touched the desk. "Uh, th-this is my desk, and, uh, these are my pencils.."  
  
"No, where you do your other work."  
  
"Oh, you mean Buffy's house."  
  
"I guess, yeah. You work at Buffy's house?"  
  
"Yeah. It's Slayer HQ." Faith grabbed her jacket and followed Robin out to his car.  
  
"Speaking of Buffy, have you heard anything from her?" Robin asked, starting his car.  
  
"Nothing. I'm really worried about her. No one's called and every time we call, we get rushed off the phone. From what her friends told me, Angelus is really bad news. He doesn't need a weapon to hurt them. He is one."  
  
"How's that?"  
  
"Turn here. He uses his brain. That's why he was the Scourge of Europe. He knows all these different ways to torture a person and mental abuse is his specialty. He's got way more ammo on B this time around."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be. Left here. You came into this game too late to be sorry about it. Buffy's the strongest person I know, she'll get through it no matter what. But I gotta ask, what about Connor? He's missing all this school. It's that house with the tree."  
  
"It'll be ok." Robin parked the car in the driveway. "I've been covering for him."  
  
"You have?" Faith stopped on the porch.  
  
"Yeah. I'm the principal, I can do anything I want."  
  
"But you've only know about Connor for less than a week."  
  
"I figured if he was hanging with you and Buffy, he knew the drill. I've cut him a lot of slack."  
  
"Thank you. Buffy'll be grateful. Connor too."  
  
"So, what should I expect in here?"  
  
"Lots of girls." Robin stared at her. "Uh, potential Slayers. We're protecting them here. Apocalypse stuff." Faith opened the door ad allowed Robin to enter first. "All the potential slayers, who seem to keep popping up from, like, every corner of the earth, were getting killed."  
  
"By the First."  
  
"Agents of. We thought the Council could protect them, but, unfortunately, no one was protecting the Council, and all their watchers were killed. Word got out, and they've all been coming here since."  
  
"Well, there's nothing like the end of the world to bring people together."  
  
"It's heartwarming. Anyway, this is, uh, it. Command central."  
  
Andrew stormed into the room wearing a white apron and a red and white checked oven mitt on each hand. "Where the hell have you been? This funnel cake is kicking my ass."  
  
"Yeah, I hear they're tricky." Robin said.  
  
"Robin Wood, this is.. Andrew." Faith said lamely.  
  
"It's a pleasure." Robin and Andrew shook hands.  
  
"Andrew is our.. actually, he's our hostage."  
  
"I like to think of myself more as a 'guestage.'" Andrew said.  
  
"So, you.. you hold him here against his will?" Robin asked.  
  
"Well, he was evil, and people got killed, and now he.. bakes. It's a thing." Faith said.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Could we try to just keep our secret headquarters a little bit secret? Keep bringing people in, they're gonna see everything. They'll see the big board." Andrew said.  
  
"Andrew, we don't have a big board." Faith said.  
  
Andrew ran to fetch a white dry-erase board from behind the chair. "I, uh, made it myself." The board was approximately 2' x 4', and was labeled: SUNNYDALE "BIG BOARD." Using every color of marker, the board featured a hand-drawn map of Sunnydale, with representations of trees, cemeteries, railroad tracks, and the street grid.  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't have guessed." Robin said sarcastically.  
  
"Uh, this is us. And this represents the First in various incarnations. And, uh, there's no pattern to the naked eye yet, but the instant one emerges, yours truly is on it." Faith and Robin looked at each other, then walked away. Andrew called after them. "Where do we put our receipts?"  
  
Faith rolled her eyes and led Robin out to the back porch. "You'll have to forgive Andrew. Or not. Your call. We do have a lot more working for us than just the, uh, big board."  
  
"So I see." Robin said.  
  
The potentials were in the backyard training. They were lined up in rows and Kennedy was leading. She yelled an order and the potentials followed. Chloe messed up and Kennedy attacked. She ordered her to do pushups. "Push- ups, maggot!" Chloe dropped to do push-ups. Kennedy turned toward Faith and Roin, still scowling, then suddenly grinning and giddy. "I love this job! Did you see that? I called that girl 'maggot.'" She noticed Robin. "Hi. Who the hell are you?"  
  
"An ally." Faith said.  
  
"So, what do you think? My girls ready to kick some ass, or what?"  
  
"Looking strong." Robin said.  
  
"But..?"  
  
"Well, I'm just not sure the First has an ass that you can actually, you know, kick."  
  
"Guess we'll see."  
  
"Principal Wood, hi! It's so weird seeing you outside of school." Amanda called.  
  
"What are you waving at, potential? Attention!"  
  
Faith turned to Robin. "You're right, it's not enough."  
  
"That's not what I said, Faith. It's an impressive group of recruits." Robin said.  
  
"They're not recruits. Recruits are.. recruited. These girls were chosen."  
  
"You're doing the best you can with what you've got."  
  
"They're not all gonna make it. Some will die, and nothing Buffy and I can do will stop that."  
  
Willow walked out the back door onto the porch, arms full of weapons. She froze when she saw Robin. "Oh, hi. Hey. Well, Faith, I-I see that our preparation for the school-pep-dance-cheer-drill contest are coming along. Bring it on!"  
  
"It's ok, I filled him in on everything." Faith said.  
  
"Oh, thank God! If I had to explain all these weapons, I had nothing." Willow put down the weapons.  
  
"Faith tells me you have been, um, oh, how shall I put it, experimenting." Willow's eyes went wide and she cast a "you said what?" glance at Faith. "With the magicks."  
  
"Oh! Yeah. Oh, nothing too heavy, though. Just the lighter, safer stuff. Uh, if Kennedy asks, her pointy stuff's right there. See you inside." Willow looked at Faith. "So much cooler than Snyder."  
  
"She really almost destroyed the world?" Robin asked.  
  
"Yep. Wasn't here for it though. Heard that was a good thing." Faith said.  
  
"Remind me not to make her crabby."  
  
"It might be better if you did."  
  
"How's that work?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know. It's just.. the First is coming, and then look at us: the army. We've got a bunch of fighters with nothing to hit, a Wicca who won't-a, and the brains of our operation wears oven mitts."  
  
"Hmm. Well, you're redefining the job, Faith, and that takes guts. This isn't your full arsenal anyway. Show me the vampire."  
  
"You want to go to LA!?"  
  
"No! I meant the other one. Spike."  
  
"Oh." Faith looked around nervously and then led Robin down to the basement.  
  
Anya was there with Spike. "But you just let him go!"  
  
"After saving your life." Spike said.  
  
"For now. That was one of D'Hoffryn's killers, Spike. He won't stop coming till he kills me."  
  
"Yet here you are, walking, talking, annoying."  
  
"But you fought like such a wimpire, what with the lifting and the running. Why not just kill him?"  
  
"Anya, think. I fight, demon boy gets lucky, I get knocked out, you get killed. True? We both know the safest and sanest way of saving your life was to keep you with me, away from danger." Anya grunted, shook her head, and walked away. "No need to thank me. I'm just the one who beat him off. Repelled him would perhaps be the better phrase." Faith nodded. "Demon."  
  
"Figured." Faith said.  
  
"I hope we're not intruding." Robin said.  
  
"Not a bit. And just what brings our good principal to this neck of the gloom?" Spike asked.  
  
"I'm showing him our operation. Us." Faith said.  
  
"Fine by me. Big fight against evil coming up. The more good guys we've got, the longer we'll all live."  
  
"Is that what you are? A good guy?" Robin asked.  
  
"I haven't heard any complaints. Well, I have heard a few complaints over the years, but then I just killed whoever spoke up, and that was pretty much that."  
  
"He's joking." Faith said.  
  
"No, he's not." Robin said.  
  
"No, I'm not. But.. that's the old me I'm talking about." Spike said.  
  
"Why don't you tell me about that?"  
  
"Not much to tell. I've changed."  
  
"Oh, now that you have a soul."  
  
"Yeah. That was a big deal. Very.. private. What, are you just telling everyone now?" Spike asked Faith, hurt.  
  
"Oh, come on, Spike. Don't blame Faith. I asked."  
  
"Right, the educator. Yeah, I went to great lengths. Lots of trouble, and now I'm unique. Well, more or less. Got myself a soul, whatever that means."  
  
"And how's that working out for you?"  
  
"In progress."  
  
"Well, you've had some time. You've been in Sunnydale, what..?"  
  
"Years."  
  
"How many?"  
  
"A few."  
  
"Before that?"  
  
"Around."  
  
Faith finally had enough and she stepped between them. "I think we'd better get back upstairs."  
  
"Right. Give him the full tour. You don't want to miss a look at Buffy's weapons' chest."  
  
Faith glared at Spike as she allowed Robin to go up first.  
Buffy watched Angelus drained the last of the woman and drop her lifeless body to the floor as she pulled up the strap on her top. Buffy got up and wiped away the few droplets of blood that had dribbled out the sides of his mouth and he sucked her finger into his mouth, lapping the rest of the blood up. The woman had sobbed the whole time that Buffy and Angelus had been having sex and that pissed Angelus off. Right as they had climaxed together, Angelus had ripped himself from Buffy and then ripped the throat out of the woman.  
  
"I could have stood to torture her longer." Buffy said.  
  
"I've never heard anyone whimper that much!" Angelus growled, morphing back to his human face.  
  
"I want to torture someone. I just have a craving."  
  
Angelus pulled his pants up and buckled them. "Want to go to the demon bar and find one of those stoned freaks in the back to torture?"  
  
"No, I want to torture someone we know."  
  
"That's my girl." Angelus smiled. "Who'd you have in mind?"  
  
"Follow me and find out." 


	57. Get It Done part 2

Chapter 57  
  
Faith walked back to the house. Everyone was in the living room crying and curled up on themselves. Dawn had found Chloe hanging from a bed sheet in Willow's room. Faith had just buried the body next to Annabelle's, the first potential that had been killed. The First had also paid a visit in Chloe's form. Faith stared around the room.  
  
"Is everyone here?" she asked.  
  
"All accounted for." Kennedy said.  
  
"Anyone want to say a few words about Chloe?" All she got was silence. "Let me. Chloe was an idiot. Chloe was stupid. She was weak. And anyone in a rush to be the next dead body I bury, it's easy. Just.. think of Chloe, and do what she did. And I'll find room for you next to her and Annabelle. Buffy and I are the Slayers. The ones with the power. And the First has us using that power to dig our graves." Faith threw down the shovel angrily. "We've been carrying you, all of you, too far, too long. Ride's over."  
  
"You're out of line!"  
  
"No she's not." Willow said.  
  
"You're gonna let her talk to you like that? Willow, she's not even the most powerful one in this room. With you here, she's not close."  
  
"You're new here, and you're wrong. Because I use the power that I have. The rest of you are just waiting for me or Buffy."  
  
"Well, yeah, but only because you kinda told us to. You're our leader right now, Faith, as in 'follow the.' Buffy's not here." Xander said.  
  
"Buffy's not here. She's got problems of her own in LA. We're here." Faith said. "From now on until she gets back, I'm your leader as in 'do what I say.'"  
  
"Ja wohl! But let's not try to forget, we're also your friends."  
  
"I'm not." Anya said.  
  
"Then why are you here? Aside from getting rescued, what is it that you do?" Faith asked, wheeling on the ex-demon.  
  
"I provide much-needed.. sarcasm."  
  
"Um, that would kinda be my job, actually." Xander said, raising his hand.  
  
"You're here because you're scared." Faith said.  
  
"Same goes for everyone in this room."  
  
"Fine. Anya, all of you, be as scared as you'd like, just be useful while you're at it."  
  
"Come on, Faith. You know everyone here's doing everything they can." Willow said.  
  
"The First isn't impressed. It already knows us. It knows what we can do, and it's laughing. You want to surprise the enemy? Surprise yourselves. Force yourself to do what can't be done, or else we are not an army like Buffy said..we're just a bunch of girls waiting to be picked off and buried." Spike stood and walked toward the door. Faith wheeled on him. "Where are you going?"  
  
"Out. Since I'm neither a girl, nor waiting. All this speechifying doesn't really apply to me, does it?" Spike said.  
  
"Fine. Take a cell phone. That way, if I need someone to get weepy or whaled on, I can call you."  
  
"If you've got something to say.."  
  
"Just said it. You keep holding back, you might as well walk out that door."  
  
"Holding back? You're blind. I've been here, right in it.. fighting, scrapping.."  
  
"Since you got your soul back?"  
  
"Well, as a matter of fact, I haven't quite been relishing the kill the way I used to."  
  
"You were a better fighter then."  
  
"I did this for you. The soul, the changes.. it's what you wanted."  
  
"What I want is the Spike that's dangerous. The Spike that tried to kill Buffy when you two met. The one that so intent on killing anyone and everyone in his path."  
  
"Oh, you don't know how close you are to bringing him out."  
  
"I'm nowhere near him. Dawn, get the potentials upstairs, and break out that emergency kit."  
  
"What are you going to do?" Dawn asked.  
  
"I'm declaring an emergency." Faith walked out and called Robin. He was more than willing to come over and help out. The minute he got there, she led him into the living room. "We thought you'd want to be here."  
  
"Yeah, you thought right." Robin said.  
  
Kennedy, Willow, Anya, and Xander went through the contents of the bag. Dawn watched them from her position near Faith. "That emergency bag's got some neat stuff in it. Weapons, charms, advanced reading assignments."  
  
"Yeah, cool stuff, but we've seen it all before." Xander said.  
  
"Well, not this, we haven't. What's inside it?" Anya asked.  
  
"Mm, I don't know. It hasn't been opened since.." Robin started. Faith broke off the lock with her bare hands. "Well, since now."  
  
Xander pulled out metal figures from the bag. "Puppets. That's it! The First hates puppets! Now if we can just airlift Kermit, Fozzie the Bear, and Miss Piggy into town, the First'll be a-running."  
  
"Those are Muppets." Willow said.  
  
Dawn took a metal figure from Xander. "And these things are shadow-casters. You put them in motion, and they tell you a story." She looked at the book. "It says you can't just watch, you have to see."  
  
"What the hell does that mean?" Anya asked.  
  
"It's cryptic. I don't like it. Every time instructions get cryptic, someone gets hurt.. usually me." Xander said.  
  
"You can't just watch, you have to see? See what?" Faith asked.  
  
"That's where all my fancy translating skills break down, but I think it's an origin myth. The story of the very first Slayer." Dawn said.  
  
"I-I saw her."  
  
"You saw the First Slayer?" Robin asked.  
  
"The other night.. in my dream. It's gotta mean something, right?"  
  
"We'll find out." Dawn ran out of the room and came back with a box of matches. Faith dimmed the lights and walked over to stand near Robin. In the darkened room, Xander struck a match and lit the wick at the center of a metal mechanical object. The light filled the room. Dawn held a large book open in her arms. "Ok. According to this, I think.. you put on those puppet guys one by one. They cast shadows and the shadows tell the story. First, there is the Earth." Xander put the first metal figure on the mechanical object. The light at the center cast a shadow of the figure on the wall. A tribal drumbeat could be heard in the background now.  
  
"What's that sound?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"Ok, so far, so creepy." Xander said.  
  
"Hmm, ok." Dawn said. As she told the story, Xander added figure after figure. With each figure, strange sounds could be heard. "Then, there came the demons. After demons, there came men. Men found a girl. And the men took the girl to fight the demon.. all demons. They.. they chained her to the Earth. And then..and I-I can't read this. Something about darkness."  
  
The shadow caster started to spin on its own. Faith looked around and then back at Dawn. "What about darkness?" The shadow caster device was spinning, making shadows of the figures on the walls, but the shadows were animated, moving, acting out the story.  
  
"It says you cannot be shown. You cannot just watch, but you must see. See for yourself, but only if you're willing to make the exchange." Dawn said.  
  
"When did you get so good at Sumerian?" Xander asked.  
  
"It's not in Sumerian anymore." The words on the pages of the book were magically changing into English.  
  
Willow and Kennedy stood, alarmed, as the shadow casters told a story of a demon attacking the chained girl. The device spun faster and faster as the shadows moved up the walls. Suddenly, a bright blue light formed at the center of the device, growing in size until it formed a window of light. Faith walked closer to investigate it.  
  
"But what does it mean?" Xander asked.  
  
"It means I have to go in there." Faith said.  
  
"No, it doesn't! Where does it say that? It doesn't say that!" Willow said.  
  
"Faith, you don't even know what you're exchanging. You don't know if you're ready yet." Robin said.  
  
"That's the point." Faith said.  
  
"No. Faith, we don't know where you're going or how we'll get you back." Willow said.  
  
"Faith, you can't." Xander said.  
  
"How will we get you back?"  
  
"Find a way." With that, Faith jumped.  
Buffy came around on Connor's other side and smiled as Angelus attacked the boy again. They had been toying with him for an hour or so. At first it was stalking, then it was whispering from the darkness, and now it was attacking slightly. Connor defended himself well. Hell, he should. He was trained by the best.  
  
"Mom, you don't want to kill me." Connor said.  
  
"No, I just want to play with you for a while. Your dad's going to kill you and bring you over to the dark side." Buffy said. She fended off the kicks he threw at her easily.  
  
"That's not my father. My father is in a jar somewhere. You're still my mom."  
  
"Duh." Buffy kicked Connor and the boy went sprawling on the ground. Suddenly, a blue light formed in Buffy's peripheral vision and she turned to see what it was. A window like portal was opening and expanding. "What the hell?"  
  
"Mom!"  
  
"Well, this is interesting." Angelus said, knocking Connor down.  
  
"Tell me about it." Buffy said. She circled the portal which followed her. She came to rest in front of Connor. "Think we should go in? It seems to be following me."  
  
"How will we get back?"  
  
"Hell if I know."  
  
"You're not going in there."  
  
"Didn't plan on it. But watch." Buffy moved from side to side. The portal followed. "I told you it's following me." Suddenly, a kick to her back sent Buffy flying into the portal. Connor had gotten up and tried to kick her away, but she had moved and made him kick her IN the portal instead. Buffy went sprawling face first into the ground.. Which was nothing but sand. When she looked up, there were a pair of boots there.  
  
"Buffy?" Faith asked above her.  
  
Buffy looked around in fear. "What the hell is going on?" She stood up and looked around. It looked like the place where Giles had taken her on the retreat where the first Slayer had told her death was her gift.  
  
"I don't know exactly. How did you get here?"  
  
"A portal was open in front of me. Connor kicked me in."  
  
"Connor?"  
  
"You heard me! Geez, do I always have to repeat myself?"  
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
"Just peachy."  
  
"Buffy? What's wrong with you? You seem.. Different."  
  
"So do you." Buffy smiled and then looked around. "Fine, I'll play along. But just for right now. I have a vampire to get back to. First of all, how did we get here?"  
  
Faith stared at Buffy for a moment and then shook her head. "Um, Robin gave me.. Us a Slayer hand-me-down. It had this box with shadow puppet things that told a story. We decided to see what it was and it opened a portal. I guess we're on a quest to find out about being the Slayer."  
  
"Ok.. Who's Robin?"  
  
"Principal Wood."  
  
"You're on a first name basis with the guy?"  
  
"We uh.. We.. Never mind. We don't have time. Come on, we need to find these three guys I think. They should be here if I'm correct."  
  
"Second of all, why is this the desert?"  
  
"Um, the first Slayer was made when these three guys chained her down and gave her powers to make her fight demons."  
  
"And you know this how?"  
  
"Shadow puppets told me the story."  
  
"Shadow puppets? And they say I'm crazy."  
  
"It's a really long story. And hey, what vampire? I thought Angel was bad."  
  
"He is.. He's.." Buffy didn't want to tell Faith that she was just as evil as Angelus because that would mean the girl would go to LA and hunt both of them down. "In a cage and Lord knows what he'll tell my friends while I'm gone. I'm the only one that can handle him."  
  
"Doesn't seem like it. Fred said that you'd gone comatose almost. Not talking to anybody and all."  
  
"Yeah. Comatose. Who are those guys?"  
  
"They must be the Shadow Men."  
  
"Shadow Men?" Buffy asked incredulously as she followed Faith up to the men.  
  
"Hello? I'm Faith. This is Buffy. We're the Slayers." Faith said.  
  
The man in the red hat thing was the first to speak. It was in an ancient tongue neither Slayer recognized, but they understood it perfectly. "We know who you are."  
  
"And we know why you're here." Black hat said.  
  
"We've been waiting." Brown hat guy said.  
  
"Goody for you." Buffy said.  
  
"Um, you know, I know we have bigger issues to deal with, but how'd I understand anything you guys just said?" Faith asked. The Shadow Men looked at each other and stood, not answering.  
  
"Oh, I know this one! Ancient magicks." Buffy said sarcastically.  
  
"I just thought it was neat."  
  
"We have been here since the beginning." Red Hat said as the three started to circle Buffy and Faith.  
  
"Now, we are almost at the end." Black Hat said.  
  
"The neat of it just left." Buffy said deadpan. "End of what?"  
  
"You are the Hellmouth's last guardians." Brown Hat said.  
  
"Latest. You mean latest guardians." Faith said.  
  
"No." Red Hat said.  
  
"Ok, um, I have a First to fight, ok. So just tell me what I need to know. I came to learn."  
  
"We cannot give you knowledge. Only power."  
  
"Power's always good." Buffy said. Faith hit her shoulder and then looked back at the three hat guys. "What!? You know what I think? I'm not really here at all. None of this is actually happening. This is like a play. Some non-reality re-enactment hologramy.." One of the hat guys whacked Buffy in the face with his big stick thing and she fell to the ground. "Ok, OW!" Was all she said before she was knocked out.  
When she came to, Faith was standing next to her, shackled at the wrists. "What the hell is this?" Buffy stood only to find that she was shackled at the wrists and chained to the ground too. She struggled against the chains. The three men were standing in front of her and Faith in a circle. "My husband is going to rip your throats out!"  
  
"B, shut up." Faith said.  
  
"We are at the beginning. The source of your strength. The well of the Slayer's power." Brown Hat said.  
  
"This is why we have brought you here." Red Hat said.  
  
"I thought I brought me here. Listen, you guys. I'm already a Slayer, bursting with power. Really don't need any more." Faith said.  
  
"I didn't bring me here. I was sort of kicked here. Can I go?" Buffy asked.  
  
"The First Slayer did not talk so much." Red Hat said.  
  
Buffy pulled on her chains again. The men started tapping their staves against the ground rhythmically. The Red Hat fetched a box and brought it to the center of the circle where he took off the box top.  
  
"Herein lies your truest strength." Red Hat said.  
  
"The energy of the demon. Its spirit." Black Hat said.  
  
"Its heart." Brown Hat said.  
  
"This is how you.." Faith said.  
  
"Created the slayer?" Red Hat asked with a nod. "Yes."  
  
Black smoke came out of the box in long tentacles. It seemed sentient as it danced around the circle. The men kept tapping their staves rhythmically.  
  
"It must become one with you." Brown Hat said.  
  
"Uh, don't think so." Buffy said, watching the tendrils. She started to struggle against her chains and then Faith decided to join in.  
  
"This will make you ready for the fight." Red Hat said.  
  
"By making us less human?" Faith asked.  
  
"This is how it was then. How it must be now."  
  
"This is all there is." Black Hat said.  
  
Buffy and Faith both struggled against their restraints in vain as the black smoke came toward them, entering their bodies through their noses and ears. Both Buffy and Faith screamed as the black smoke tried to enter their bodies. The men just stood there watching. The smoke couldn't get in through their heads while the two were screaming, so it rose to the ceiling of the cave and came back down to her, encircling Buffy and Faith's hips. Still, they resisted.  
  
"Make this stop!" Buffy yelled.  
  
"This is what you came for." Red Hat said.  
  
"No, this isn't the way." Faith said.  
  
"Do not fight this."  
  
The smoke came at Buffy and Faith again. They struggled and the smoke backed off for a minute. Buffy glared at the three men. "You think I came all this way to get knocked up by some demon dust? I can't fight this. I know that now. But you guys? You're just men." She ripped her chains out of the ground. "Just the men who did this.. to her. Whoever that girl was before she was the First Slayer."  
  
"You don't understand." Red Hat said.  
  
Faith ripped her chains from the ground too. "No, you don't understand! You violated that girl, made her kill for you because you're weak, you're pathetic, and you obviously have nothing to show us."  
  
Buffy used the chains that were still shackled to her hands as weapons when she attacked. She swung the chains at the legs of one man and the staff of the other. She knocked them down, but they got up again. A fight ensued. Buffy took on Black Hat while Faith took on Brown Hat. Buffy easily got the upper hand and broke the guy's arm savagely. "Learned that from Angelus." Faith knocked her guys out and she and Buffy walked up to the man in the red hat who was holding a staff. Buffy broke it and the demon smoke disappeared. "I knew it. It's always the staff."  
  
"We offered you power." Red Hat said.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know." Faith said.  
  
"As you wish." Red Hat held his hands up to Buffy and Faith's cheeks. Then suddenly, Buffy was back in LA. She was standing in the middle of the street where she, Angelus, and Connor had been fighting. Angelus and Connor were nowhere to be found. Buffy started to run back to the warehouse she and Angelus were staying.  
  
"Angelus! God, where the hell are you?" Buffy screamed.  
  
"Buffy!?" Angelus ran down from the second floor catwalks.  
  
"Angel! Oh God!" She ran into his arms.  
  
"Where did you go!? How did you get back? I was worried."  
  
"You were worried?"  
  
"A little, yeah. What happened?"  
  
"I ended up in the dessert with Faith! They called up this portal thing that sucked in the Slayers. God, I can't believe how the Slayer was made!"  
  
"Slow down! What are you talking about?"  
  
"I was almost raped by demon energy! Ew!"  
  
Angelus laughed. "I'm the only demon energy that's allowed to rape you."  
  
"You can't rape the willing baby."  
  
"Are you saying you're willing?"  
  
"I'm saying that we need to get to our, air quote, 'friends' soon. There's a shit load of Ubervamps coming and even I don't want to get involved with that!"  
  
"Ugh! Those Turok-Han things?"  
  
"Exactly. They're just waiting to be released. And they will."  
"Faith?" Wesley asked on the other side of the line.  
  
"Wes? Are you ok? Did Buffy end up back there in LA?" Faith asked.  
  
"Huh? She left? We haven't seen her. Angelus kidnapped her when he got out."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Faith?" Willow asked. Faith shook her head and held up a hand to stop Willow from talking.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Buffy and Cordy accidentally let Angelus out when we thought he was Angel again. Angelus killed Lilah and got away with Buffy. She's in trouble because she's so out of it. I'm coming down to get you. I left about an hour and a half ago."  
  
"Buffy's not.. I'm ready as soon as you get here." Faith hung up the phone and looked at Willow.  
  
"Are you ok?" Willow asked.  
  
"I'm five by five."  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"Nothing. Angelus has just escaped. Buffy's having a hard time getting him back. I'm going up there to help out. Stay here and keep a ward over the house till I get back. Have Spike and Robin watch the place. I'll be back as soon as I can. Hopefully with Buffy and Angel in tow." Faith grabbed a few of her clothes as she said all this and shoved them in a bag. "Wesley's on his way here to get me. If we need your help, I'll call." With that, Faith was dashing out the door and down to Wesley who was just pulling up in the driveway. Things were bad in LA and Faith was their last hope. 


	58. Salvage

A/N Sorry the time is so screwed up on this. The first part of this chapter all the way up to where Wes brings in Faith, things from Get It Done have been going on. I think you'll get it once you read it.  
  
Chapter 58  
  
Meanwhile, In LA:  
  
Angelus and Buffy rounded a corner and found Lilah's body laying on the floor. "Well. that's no fun." Angelus said.  
  
Buffy looked up sharply as Angelus picked up Lilah's body. She could hear Wesley and Gunn calling for Lilah. Angelus caught her eyes and she shrugged, dropping to the floor. Angelus sunk his teeth into Lilah and looked up as Wes and Gunn rounded the corner. He looked up at them. "Oh, jeez, fellas! This isn't what it looks like." Gunn whipped his axe down the hall and it slammed into the wall inches from Angelus' head. "A little too tart for me, anyway. You know what I mean, Wes?" He dropped Lilah's corpse to the floor as Gunn took out a stake. Angelus picked Buffy up and winked at Gunn. "Catch ya later." He turned and ran down the hall, leaping out the window into the night with Buffy. They landed and Angelus set Buffy down.  
  
"Did you have to break a window?" Buffy asked. "It cut me." She pouted her lip and Angelus smiled, taking her arm and sucking the blood from the small cut.  
  
"Let's get out of here. I know a bar where we can go." Angelus grabbed Buffy's hand and they trotted off into the night. A few minutes later they strolled into the demon bar. A few gasps echoed through the room and one demon asked, "Hey, isn't that..?" Another demon said, "Yeah."  
  
Angelus stepped up with Buffy by his side. "That's right, brothers and sisters. The rumors are true. Angel has left the building and I am back with a beautiful queen at my side." The demons and other creatures clapped and cheered and welcomed him back into the fold. "But hey, I'm no different than the next guy. I put my victim's skin on one leg at a time." He and Buffy headed for the bar but they were intercepted by a blonde vampire who ran up to him with a leering smile.  
  
"Angelus! Remember me?" She asked.  
  
"Not really." Angelus said.  
  
"Oh, come on! A little town outside Tuscany.. 1845, give or take? Rosaria!"  
  
"Rosaria, right."  
  
"Yeah! Flew in with some of my friends when we heard about the permanent midnight. Hey, a bunch of us are gonna raid a pre-school later. Want to join us? Have a little kiddie cockt.." Suddenly Rosaria burst into dust.  
  
Buffy stood where the vampire used to be. "Bitch was trying to take my husband. Don't you vamps have any respect for other people's property?"  
  
Angelus smiled and grabbed her to him, kissing her deeply. "Everybody wants a piece of you."  
  
Buffy turned and leaned against Angel. She pointed to a demon with large horns at the bar. "A couple of guys in here said if we want to find the Beast, he's the guy to talk to."  
  
Angelus wrapped his arms around her waist and together they walked up to the demon. "We're looking for the Beast."  
  
"Guy over there told me you might know where he hangs his horns." Buffy said.  
  
The demon looked up. "Whoa! You're him. You're them! Talking to me. Not usually impressed by vampires or Slayers but this is such an honor. Hey! Could you guys sign a little something for my hellspawn? Make it out to Ashley. She's a beautiful little.." Buffy took the offered pen and impaled the demon's hand with it, then Angelus seized him by the throat.  
  
"Maybe some other time, huh?" Buffy said.  
  
"Where is the Beast?" Angelus asked.  
  
"I don't know. I swear!" The demon moaned.  
  
"I've seen him." A vamp said. "The Beast. Seen him a couple times. Down by the buildings by the wash."  
  
Angelus released the demon and he and Buffy walked over to the vamp and his friend. "Show us."  
  
The two hopped up and led Buffy and Angelus out. An hour later, they stood under a highway overpass. Angelus looked around in annoyance as the one called Paco said, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is the place." He turned to Karl, the other vamp. "This is the place, right?"  
  
"Hey, man, you saw the thing. I didn't." Karl said.  
  
"Where was the Beast headed?" Angelus asked.  
  
"I can't remember, man." Paco said.  
  
Angelus hauled Paco up, yanking him close. "Try remembering harder, Paco."  
  
"Okay! I was just trying to steer clear of the mammoth, all right. You know what I'm saying."  
  
"Listen to what I'm saying. We don't have time to.." Angelus suddenly stopped when Buffy grabbed his arm. He sniffed the air, his and Buffy's attention fixed on something in the distance. He released Paco and walked off into the night with Buffy right next to him. They came to a warehouse stocked full of wooden crates. Angelus and Buffy moved among the stacks of barrels and crates, searching. He whistled, calling out into the darkness. "Is this how you treat an old friend? Kill the chick I was chasing, then lure me here with the scent of her blood." Buffy pointed at the dagger dripping with Lilah's blood.  
  
"We were never friends, Angelus." The Beast said, stepping out in front of them.  
  
"I know. But calling you a 'big dumb hunk of rock' seemed a little on the nose. Come on, man! I'm teasing. It's been what? A couple of hundred years? You still want to kick my ass?"  
  
"It's true I long to crush your skull but I didn't bring you here to fight. That wasn't my instruction."  
  
"Your instruction?" Buffy asked.  
  
"My master has requested you both."  
  
"Your master?" Angelus asked.  
  
Buffy admired the dagger. "Nice workmanship. Did you make this in shop for daddy?" She reached out to touch it, but the Beast grabbed her wrist.  
  
"Don't touch that."  
  
Angelus grabbed the Beast's wrist and yanked it away. "Don't touch her."  
  
Buffy laughed. "Sorry. I can see you put a lot of yourself into it."  
  
Angelus wrapped his arms around her waist and looked up at the Beast. "So.. the attack on Angel Investigations, rain of fire, blotting out the sun.."  
  
"Stealing your soul and bringing out the evil in your Slayer. All designed by my master to bring forth and keep Angelus." The Beast said.  
  
"Well, hell of a plan. Real big-picture thinking. So when can we meet the big brain behind our liberation?"  
  
"In time. For now you both will take your orders through me."  
  
"Or here's a better idea. No. We won't. Tell your boss we're grateful for the attention but we don't take grocery lists from the messenger boy."  
  
"I will teach you respect!"  
  
"Look, you may have played those suckers at Angel Inc. but we don't like having our strings yanked." Buffy said. "And I don't like being kept in the dark! Figuratively, anyway. And if your boss was half as smart as he thinks he is, he knows we won't take orders from a lackey."  
  
The Beast glared and Angelus smiled. "What? You don't like lackey? Well, how about toadie? Or lickspittle? Lickspittle's nice. Oh, wait. I've got it. Flunky. That's it. You're just a big, stupid, butt-ugly.." The Beast lunged at Angelus, throwing a punch but Angelus ducked and backed up, dodging and weaving the Beast's lumbering blows with Buffy watching from the side. "..slow-moving flunky! Come on, rocky, if that's all you've got, you better throw in the towel and call it a night." The Beast kept trying to hit Angelus but never managed to lay a hand on him. Angelus ducked several more blows, then leapt over to Buffy. He tossed her high up into the rafters where she landed on a catwalk far above. With a look at the Beast, he jumped up next to her. "When the Beastmaster is ready to peek out from behind your skirt, have him give us a call." Then he and Buffy slipped out through a missing panel in the roof.  
Wesley glanced at Faith in the passenger's seat. "You know what's going on in L.A.?"  
  
"Seen the news, sure. Never-ending night, rain of fire.. Team Angel must really have their hands full." Faith said.  
  
"You don't know the half of it."  
  
"But you're here to fill in the blanks for me. Why?"  
  
"We need you."  
  
"Well, I hate to wet the paper for you, Wes, but I'm kinda unavailable right now. Maybe you want to check back when the First is disposed of."  
  
"You need to know.."  
  
"It's Armageddon again. I dig. Last thing you need is me in the mix. Besides, Buffy and Angel will come shining through in the end like they always do."  
  
"Angel's gone, Faith. Angelus is back and he's got Buffy."  
  
"No, he doesn't."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Buffy's not a prisoner, she's his wife. The way she was acting when I saw her, she's not Buffy anymore."  
  
"Angelus has turned her?"  
  
"No. She's just plain evil. I knew there was something off about her."  
  
"So, we're up against not only Angelus, but now evil Buffy. Great."  
  
"I'm not gonna kill them, Wesley. Angelus or Buffy. Don't care what you thought you came and got me for. Angel and Buffy are the only ones in my life who've never given up on me. There's no way I'm giving up on.."  
  
"I know. That's why it had to be you." Wesley stopped and they got out. He and Faith walked into the hotel. Connor was back and he was being patched up.  
  
"Yeah, maybe so, but if Angelus and Buffy show up, I want to be ready." Gunn said.  
  
"We are now." Wes said.  
  
"Faith!" Connor said. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Looked like you all could use my help." Faith said.  
  
"What about Sunnydale?"  
  
"Spike and Robin.. Principal Wood have that covered."  
  
"Principal Wood?"  
  
"Long story. Short version: you're not the first kid to be born to a Slayer."  
  
"You mean.."  
  
"Yeah. Wood is the son of a Slayer."  
  
"Faith? What the hell is she doing here?" Cordy asked, walking downstairs.  
  
"Nice to see you, too, Cor." Faith said with a wave.  
  
"She's here to help." Wes said.  
  
"Oh great. One apocalypse is thwarted as the other one devours the world."  
  
"Sorry, but I figured it was a little more important to get Buffy and Angel back." Faith said. "Okay, let's get down to it. We're gonna keep this hunting party tight. Gunn, you're with me, Wes, and Connor. Arm yourselves how you like but I want you to carry the tranq gun. If I can't take him down, I want you to be ready to take the shot, yeah? In case anyone has any other ideas, this is a salvage mission, not search and destroy. Okay?"  
  
"No. Not okay. You think you can just breeze in here, telling everyone what to do? You're not a part of this. If you think I'm not going to kill Angelus if he comes at me, then.." Connor started.  
  
"Listen up, junior. I know that's your mom and dad out there, but when I need a bloodhound, I'll call you. If Angelus or Buffy needs putting down, I'll be the one to do it, not you. So is there anything else you're not okay with? Good." Faith turned to Gunn. "Show me the weapons."  
Buffy watched from the sidewalk as a terrified young woman raced down the street, pursued by two vamps. As they gained on her, she ran right into the arms of Angelus.  
  
"Help me!" She screamed.  
  
"It's all right now. I've got you. Shh.." Angelus said.  
  
The two vamps saw Angelus and then Buffy as she stood. They started to back away. The woman looked at Angelus. "I don't know how to thank you."  
  
"I do." Angelus shifted into game face. "Scream for me." She looked up into his terrifying visage and did just that. He was about to bite her when he heard the other vampires talking.  
  
"The Slayer? Are you sure?" Vamp 1 asked.  
  
"Just got word. She's in town." Vamp 2 said.  
  
Buffy looked over. "Yeah, hi. Um, duh. I've been here for a while now."  
  
"Not you!" Vamp 2 said. "The other one."  
  
"Faith?" Angelus asked, letting the woman go.  
  
"I don't know her name. I just know she's a Slayer."  
  
Buffy stomped her foot and the two vamps jumped and rand. She looked at Angelus. "So, Twinkie's come to play."  
  
"This is going to be fun." Angelus smirked.  
Faith had sent Connor back to the hotel. He had been taking everything too personally. Now it was just her and Wes. They emerged onto the roof of a gloomy warehouse, looking around carefully with each step.  
  
"Do you know where we're going?" Wes asked.  
  
"Not especially." Faith said.  
  
"How do you expect to find Angelus and Buffy without Connor?"  
  
"The old-fashioned way. The kid's not the only tracker. Something will turn up. Trail of bodies, tell-tale clue.." They rounded the corner to find a huge banner hanging from the far wall emblazoned with Welcome Faith on it. "Maybe a carpet fiber."  
  
"So much for the element of surprise. We'll have to come at him from two sides."  
  
"You take low." Wesley looked around to find Faith had run the length of the roof in the blink of an eye. As he watched, she leapt from one ledge to another, an amazing display of supernatural agility. "I'll hit him high." She called back. Faith dropped down from the rafters and took in her surroundings, her senses on high alert. Angelus called to her, his voice echoing throughout the vast building.  
  
"Hey, Faith. Nice to see you again. You're looking choice as ever." Angelus called.  
  
"What are you waiting for? Come out and give me a kiss." Faith called.  
  
"No, no, no. That would be cheating on my wife. You come to me. That's it.. getting warmer." Faith came to a metal ladder and descended into the lower level of the warehouse. Now Angelus' voice was a lot closer. "Warmer.. warmer.. you're smokin' hot!" He stepped out from behind some crates. "But then again, you probably knew that."  
  
"Where's Buffy?"  
  
"She's right here." Buffy stepped out from behind the crates. "Hey Twinkie!"  
  
"Honey, I brought a guest home for dinner." Angelus said.  
  
Faith turned around as the Beast appeared on the opposite side of the room. Angelus grinned at Faith and chuckled. "Let's eat."  
  
"What is this, Angelus?" The Beast asked, staring at Faith.  
  
"This is the other Slayer. Say hi to the nice Beast, Faith."  
  
"You dare to bring her here?"  
  
"Hey, doing you a favor, Stonehenge. She's here to seriously mess up you and your boss's plans. So the question is, what do you do, hotshot? What do you do?" The Beast stalked forward toward Faith. She raised her crossbow and fired but the bolt glanced harmlessly off the Beast's rock- like chest. She punched it, then punched it again, to no effect. It seized Faith by the throat and lifted her off the ground. "Smile, Faith. I thought you'd enjoy a foursome."  
  
"Sure.." Faith whipped her fist backward and it slammed into Angelus' head, sending him staggering backward. She broke the Beast's hold on her neck and put some distance between herself and her opponents. "Let's get it on."  
  
Faith attacked the Beast with a roundhouse kick followed by a flurry of punches to its chest. T he Beast staggered back a step but the blows didn't hurt it at all. Angelus smirked and grabbed onto Buffy, watching the show. "Whoo-ee! Watch yourself, big guy. The girl's on fire."  
  
Faith poured every ounce of her preternatural strength into her blows. After another volley of punches and several roundhouse kicks to its head, the Beast was still standing, unharmed. With a menacing growl, it thrust its arm forward into Faith's chest like a massive piston, lifting her into the air and sending her flying backward a dozen feet where she crashed through a packing crate and landed covered in debris.  
  
"Oh.. that's gonna sting in the morning." Buffy said.  
  
The Beast stalked forward and hauled Faith out of the crate's wreckage. She flipped up into the air, kicking hard into the Beast's face before landing and hammering its belly with punch after punch.  
  
"Nice!" Angelus said.  
  
Faith ducked several blows and followed with one of her own but the Beast stopped her arm in mid-swing and pounded her to her knees, then swung her into a stack of steel conduit with tremendous force. Faith was on her knees now. The Beast pounded her, one massive blow to the head after another. Her face was bruised and bleeding. The Beast brought one of its cloven hooves down on her back, crushing her.  
  
"B, help. I know you're in there somewhere." Faith said.  
  
"Come on, Twinkie! You're not even trying." Buffy said coldly.  
  
The Beast yanked her to her feet and she spit blood in its face. Furious, it lifted her above its head and slammed her down on the floor with bone- crunching force, then kicked her across the room.  
  
Angelus shook his head in mock sympathy as Faith struggled to stand, gasping in pain. He looked at Buffy. "You know, somebody should break this up." Buffy smiled and handed him the dagger.  
  
Faith crawled to the center of the room, her face contorted in pain as the Beast approached and stood over her. She realized she was about to die and faced it without fear. The Beast stared at her. "This is all you are. I had heard the Slayer possessed great strength.. but there's no real power here. My master's power is beyond all limits. Beyond your petty imagining. You are weak. You are nothing. You could not even defeat me."  
  
Angelus sidled up next to the Beast and smiled at Faith. "Ain't that the truth? I mean, look at this guy. Pretty much the only thing that could do damage to that thick stony hide.. is himself. Or maybe, I don't know.. maybe a piece of himself." Angelus whipped out the Beast's dagger and slammed it into the creature's back. The Beast screamed in agony and batted Angelus aside. It writhed, trying to reach the dagger buried in its back as cracks started to form all along the length of its body. Radiant blood-red light poured out of the fissures as its screams reached a crescendo pitch.  
  
"I knew it! I told you!" Buffy said.  
  
The light came together in a coherent beam and shot out of the Beast's mouth and eyes up into the sky. It slammed into the mysterious cloud obscuring the sun and annihilated it. Sunlight instantly blazed forth, bathing the city in a golden glow. Faith lied crippled on the floor, watching as the Beast became petrified, then crumbled into a pile of rubble. Across the room, Angelus looked up in disgust at the sunlight coming though the windows high above. "Aw, crap! You mean killing the Beast really does bring back the sun? I thought that was Angel's retarded fantasy. Oh, well.. what are you gonna do?" He got to his feet and pulled Buffy to hers. Faith looked up and grasped the chains dangling from a loading winch above her and pulled herself to her feet, using the chain to keep herself upright. The effort was almost more than she could bear. "Anyhow, I just wanted Beastie-boy here to soften you up. I like my meat nice and tender." He licked his lips and leered at her lasciviously. With an agonized scream, Faith hurled the loading winch at Angelus. It slid along its rails toward him but slowly. Angelus easily stepped out of the way. "Oh! A swing and a miss, slugger! Sorry.." Suddenly, Angelus was tackled to the ground by Buffy just as the winch broke through the window, pouring sunlight into the factory. Faith lied on the ground right in the center of the sunlit floor, unreachable to Angelus. He and Buffy stood up and chuckled.  
  
"God.. okay, well, I gotta give you props. Nice move. Really. I guess we'll just have to take a rain check on that whole eviscerating you thing. It's just you and me and Buff now, Faithy."  
  
Buffy waved as they headed out. "Catch ya later." And then they were gone. 


	59. Release

Chapter 59  
  
Demons and vampires shared drinks and shot pool while Angelus regaled several lesser vampires with tales of his recent exploits. A vampire waitress walked over and sets a glass of blood down in front of him.  
  
"Compliments of the lady." She said, motioning to the bar.  
  
He turned around and to find a female vampire waving to him from the bar. He waved back, then turned back to his tablemates with a grimace. "Yeah. As if." Buffy walked over and slid onto his lap. "I got something much more tasty." He smiled as Buffy coldly smiled at the vamp at the bar. He turned back to the vampires at the table. "Anyway, I couldn't believe how easy it was luring the Slayer into our little 'welcome home from prison' party."  
  
"Wish I could have been there when she saw the Beast." Vamp 1 said.  
  
"The guy wasn't going to win any personality contests but he put on a good show. Slapped her around real nice." Buffy said.  
  
"Like a little bunny?" Another vamp asked.  
  
"A bloody, whimpering bunny. Once she was tenderized, I gave rocko the shaft. Never saw it coming. Dumb-ass." Angelus said.  
  
"Yeah, soul-boy, nice job bringing the sun back." Francis said from the bar. He was a horned demon with one horn sliced off. Buffy and Angelus glared and he quickly turned back to his drink. Angelus smiled and stood up with Buffy. Francis pretended to be surprised to find them standing behind him. "Oh, hey, Angelus! Buffy! Buy you a warm one?"  
  
"Maybe after." Angelus said.  
  
"After what?"  
  
"After I rip out your windpipe till it stops making that annoying talky sound." Buffy said.  
  
"Wait, I have a condition. Whoop! Goh-boy! Dirty bitch! Tourettes. You've heard of it, right?"  
  
"Yeah, causes uncontrollable impulses. Like yanking out throats." She seized the creature by the neck and started squeezing. As the demon choked and gasped, a loud, disembodied voice called out to Buffy and Angelus, deep and resonant.  
  
"Hello, Buffy and Angelus. It's time we had that talk." The voice said.  
  
Buffy and Angelus looked around in confusion. Buffy's grip tightened on the demon. Angelus looked at her, knowing she heard it too, and then he looked around at the crowd. "Where are you?"  
  
"Wherever you want me to be, buddy!" the demon in Buffy's grasp choked out.  
  
"I'm where it's warm and soft.." The voice said.  
  
Buffy dropped the demon and walked to the center of the room with Angelus, staring at the ceiling. "Hide-and-seek, huh? Okay. We'll play."  
  
"Playtime's over. You've been bad. Killed my favorite pet."  
  
"Yeah, well, we thought that might get your attention." Angelus said.  
  
Buffy stared at the patrons of the bar watching the display. She grabbed Angelus' arm and hauled him to the back of the bar. There were humans and vampires back here. The humans were hopped up on some drug and the vamps were getting off on it. The voice continued to talk. "Initiative. I like that. But you needn't have bothered. I've had my eyes on you two for some time."  
  
A junkie girl walked up to Angelus and wrapped herself around him. "Hey, baby, how about a hit?"  
  
Buffy grabbed the girl by the throat and tossed her aside easily. "You like to watch, huh?" She asked the voice.  
  
"One of the many things we have in common." The voice said.  
  
"Oh, I don't know about that." Angelus said, grabbing Buffy's waist harshly. "I'm more of a hands-on kind of guy." Buffy responded and nipped at his neck. The vampire sucking on the junkie girl watched them and Angelus barked, "Scram." The vamp did just that. "Okay, come on. You got a pair or the wind you're blowing up our tailpipes' all you can muster?"  
  
"Hey, here's a kooky idea." Buffy said. "Now that Angelus and I've killed your little pet rock, how about a little face-to-face, huh? Assuming that you've got one."  
  
"Don't worry. We'll meet. When you're ready." The voice said.  
  
"Oh, come on. Why the stall, huh? You whipped up a rain of fire, blotted out the sun, earthquakes, bringing Buffy here over to the right side.. all to maneuver the Brady Bunch into releasing Angel's inner me." Angelus said. "Don't you want to kick the tires?"  
  
"So beautifully vain. But the whirlwind doesn't always revolve around you. Destruction sometimes is its own reward."  
  
"Hey, you're preaching to the guy who ate the choir. But wait.. it was you, wasn't it? You just pulled the wrong strings to make them think it was their idea. Got them to yank that white, fluffy soul and stuff it in a jar and then gone, baby, gone!"  
  
"Couldn't risk them putting it back in you. I have wonderful plans for you, my sweet boy."  
  
"Oh, yeah." Buffy said. "Lay off my man horny. But the thing is, as far as plans go, we make our own so, you know.. thanks for stopping by our heads." She started to walk, Angelus still attached to her waist.  
  
"You would dare to defy me?"  
  
"Defy who? A big, scary voice? Whoa!"  
  
"Hey, I've got one of those, too." Angelus said. "You want to hear it?" He put his hands over his mouth. "You can kiss my vampire ass! That do anything for ya? Hello! Hey, we've got places to go, friends to kill. Well, not actually our friends but you get the idea. You got any more bluster you want to blow up there? That's what I thought." Angelus laid his chin on Buffy's shoulder and looked over at a drugged vamp.  
  
He came out of the corner and his drugged stupor long enough to watch Angelus and Buffy talking to themselves. He stroked the hair of the unconscious girl lying in his lap. "Dude, whatever you guys're on.. I'll give you the girl for a gram."  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes and started to walk. Angelus took her hands and walked out with her. Once they were out of the foul bar and walking the night streets, Buffy moved away from Angelus and started to walk. Angelus followed. "What now?"  
  
"I want to find out about migraine boy." Buffy said.  
  
"And how do you expect to do that?"  
  
"Follow." Buffy led him to a little shop on Olive Street.  
  
"What the hell is this?"  
  
"A way to make sure that we can get in and get what we want without too much trouble." She kicked down the door and walked in. "Hey Maury! You here?"  
  
A podgy old man ran out to the main part of the shop. "We're closed." He saw who it was. "Oh, it's you."  
  
"Long time no see. How've you been?"  
  
"Good.. Um, how's Merrick? Haven't heard much from him since you moved."  
  
"Merrick's dead. He's been dead for a while."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"But he was your Watcher."  
  
"I'm a new girl Maury." Buffy started to walk in a slow circle around the shop keeper. "Now, I want something from you and I want it now."  
  
"Weapons? Holy water?"  
  
"I've got plenty of that. I need.." Buffy walked over to a display case and busted the glass. She picked up a talisman and held it up to the light with a smile. "I need this."  
  
"What's gotten into you? You're going to pay for that."  
  
"No she's not." Angelus said, stepping into the light.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Maury, I'd like you to meet my husband Angelus." Buffy said, walking over and wrapping her arms around his waist. "He's going to kill you now."  
  
"Angelus? THE Angelus?"  
  
"The very one." Buffy reached up and pulled Angelus' mouth to hers. They kissed passionately and so sinister that the shop keeper started to run. Buffy reached out and grabbed his neck. "Ah, ah, ah. Where do you think you're going?"  
  
Angelus morphed into vamp face and grabbed Maury's shirt collar. Just as he brought his fangs to the man's neck, a loud crash sounded outside. A couple of vampires ran in and pointed. "That's them! They brought back the sun!"  
  
"Shit." Buffy said. She looked at Maury. "It's your lucky day." Angelus dropped Maury and together, he and Buffy hightailed it out of there. The vamps gave chase, but Buffy caught them off guard and staked them.  
  
"I get the impression that they don't like us anymore." Angelus said.  
  
"Let's get that info and get out of here."  
  
"What's the talisman for?"  
  
"I'll explain it on the way."  
Fred stood in Angel's office going over the papers that held information on the Beast. She was all alone in the lobby, but she wasn't too worried. The sanctuary spell was up and running and already tested. She felt a lot safer from Angelus and Buffy.  
  
"If I were a runic transcription guide, I would be.." She pulled a book off the shelf. "Shelved wrong."  
  
"Talking to yourself, Fred?" Buffy asked.  
  
Angelus smirked. "A lot of that going around."  
  
Fred whirled. "You can't hurt me. We did a no-demon-violence thingy."  
  
"Oh, the sanctuary spell. Well, damn. Oh, wait a minute.. I think I.." Buffy pulled out the talisman. "Oh, yeah. Kinda thought you pesky PI's would be humming that old tune so we picked up a little somethin' somethin'."  
  
"Lets me be as demony as I want to be." Angelus said, catching the talisman as Buffy tossed it to him.  
  
"I don't believe you." Fred said.  
  
Angelus took the book from her and slammed it into the wall inches from her head with enough force to shake the building. She gasped in terror. "How about now?"  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"Maybe we just miss you." Buffy said. She shrugged. "Well, since you brought it up.. let's talk Beastmaster. What do you got?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Come on, Winny. All this raw material, brainiac like you.. you must have a theory."  
  
"If I did, you're the last people I'd tell."  
  
"Well, all right, then. We'll just have to figure it out ourselves, huh?" Angelus asked as he gathered up the papers and books from the desk. "Let's see.. these.. this.. thanks for nothing!"  
  
"I do know one thing. You're out of your league. What you're up against? He'll make you both his bitched, just like the Beast. So if you're going to kill me, just get it over with." She looked at the charm in Angel's hand. "'Made in China?'" She lifted a glass pitcher off the shelf and shattered it against Buffy's head, sending her reeling backward. Angelus dropped the charm and started to go to Buffy as Fred snatches her tranq gun from the table and fires. Angelus ducked at the last moment and the dart thudded into the map of L.A. behind him as he dashed out into the lobby with Buffy. Lorne walked in as Angelus and Buffy charged directly at him and Fred fired again. Her aim was off and the dart hit Lorne in the chest, dropping him like a sack of concrete. Buffy laughed.  
  
"Lorne!" Fred screamed.  
  
Angelus leapt from the floor up to the balcony level and turned just as Buffy flipped up. He used the book as a shield as Fred fired her last dart. The tranq hit the book and Angelus grinned down at her. "Can't beat a good book."  
  
Fred tried to fire again, but the gun clicked. Buffy smiled and looked at Angelus. "Too bad. I was just starting to have fun."  
  
"Why stop now?" Connor asked.  
  
Angelus and Buffy turned to find Connor running at them along the balcony. Connor threw a punch right at Angelus' head but the magickal barrier sprung up, deflecting the blow and hurling Connor over the balcony rail to the floor below. Unharmed, Angelus looked down at Connor as Fred ran to his side. He looked at Buffy. "Well.. isn't that interesting."  
  
Buffy didn't respond. She flipped off the balcony and landed in front of Fred. Fred screamed and Buffy kicked her in the shoulder. Angelus leapt down and tossed the dart at Fred's feet. "Nice try, Fred. You think about how close you came to stopping us when we're slaughtering all your friends."  
  
Buffy winked. "Toodles." She and Angelus headed out the front door as Fred eyed them warily. Out in the courtyard, Faith and Wesley were walking up.  
  
"We track them, we find them, we.." Faith said.  
  
"Get your asses kicked? I don't know.. wild guess!" Buffy said.  
  
Faith looked up in shock as Buffy and Angelus walked down the sidewalk toward them, then she dropped her gear bag, ready to fight as Wesley raised the tranq rifle. Faith attacked but Buffy parried her blows then punched her, sending her reeling backward into Wesley. He went down and the rifle flew out of his grip into the bushes. Angelus rushed forward and yanked Wesley to his feet, then held him as a shield, his hand wrapped around Wesley's throat. "Sucky spell, huh? You think it'd at least go to the sidewalk." Angelus said. Buffy smiled and walked over to the two men.  
  
"Let him go. This is between you, Buffy, and me." Faith said.  
  
"It's never just between you and us, Faith. Wes will always be in the middle." Faith hesitated.  
  
"That's it. Do the math. Can you get to us before he snaps Wes' neck? You still that fast? Wes is just dyin' to find out, aren't ya, Wes?" Buffy asked, pinching Wes' cheek.  
  
"Do it." Wes said.  
  
"That's it! Come on, do it! Take your shot and save the world." Angelus said. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"  
  
Faith stood there. Buffy smiled and mocked her lessons to the potentials. "It's all about choices, Faith. The ones we make and the ones we don't.. oh, and the consequences. Those are always fun, huh? Don't worry about Wes. What's one more dead body to us? Come on.." Buffy smiled, remembering words that Faith had once said to her after Faith had killed her first human. "We're the Slayers, girlfriend. The Chosen Two. How many people do you think we've saved by now? Thousands? In my book, that puts you and me firmly in the plus column. Nobody's gonna cry over some random bystander who got caught in the crossfire." Buffy smiled as she saw the stricken reaction on Faith's face.  
  
"Faith!" Gunn called.  
  
She turned and caught the rifle he threw her. She turned back, rifle raised. Angelus hurled Wesley across the courtyard directly into Gunn, sending them both to the ground. Faith raised the rifle and started to fire, but Buffy kicked the rifle out of Faith's hands and then she and Angelus leapt up and over the outer wall of the hotel, disappearing into the night. Buffy smiled as she heard Faith start to give chase. By the time the dark headed Slayer was on the street, Angelus and Buffy were gone. 


	60. Release part 2

Chapter 60  
  
Angelus sat in a wide leather wing-back chair before a warm hearth reading through the material he stole from Angel, Inc. and he wore a set of half- lens reading glasses. Buffy sat on the arm of the chair, Angelus' arm slung around her waist. Angelus took off the glasses, frustrated, and threw them at Reg, the shop's proprietor and owner of the glasses. Reg cowered on the floor, terrified.  
  
"These aren't helping! Half of this crap is written in some archaic proto- demon cuneiform and I don't want to be rude but I think the other half.. they just doodled." Angelus said. He got up, kneeled in front of Reg, and jammed his finger through the man's testicle. Reg cried out in agony. "Now don't make me puncture the other one, Reg. I just want to get some intel on this Beastmaster fella. I mean, this is an occult shop, right? Like your job is to help us."  
  
"I.. I don't know.." Reg gasped.  
  
"Sure you do. Has a penchant for rains of fire, blotting out the sun, hmm?" Angelus punctuated each word with a blow to the shop keeper's head. "For.. getting.. inside.. your.. head!"  
  
"ANGELUS!" the voice raged in both Buffy and Angelus' heads. Angelus reeled back in pain and Buffy flew off the chair and onto the floor.  
  
"Volume!" Buffy yelled.  
  
"I am not well-pleased with you two."  
  
"And we're not well-deaf." Angelus said.  
  
"Do you think me blind, little ones, that I don't see every move before you decide to make it? Dare to seek me out again and your insolence will be punished ten-fold."  
  
"Yeah? What are you gonna do? Give us a migraine?" Buffy asked.  
  
Angelus laughed. "You ethereal types with your big swinging omniscience.. when push comes to shove, though, you gotta send some overgrown slag heap to do your dirty work. Oh, that's real spooky." Angelus turned back to Reg, but the man was gone. "Oh, that's great! You made me lose my shopkeeper."  
  
"This isn't the way, my sweets. We should be friends, you two and I."  
  
"No. And I'll tell you why. One, because, you know, we're evil so the friends thing, that's out. And two, if we did have any friends, they sure as hell wouldn't be living inside our heads!"  
  
"Like you're forced to live inside Angel's? Because you're the voice in there, aren't you? Just beneath the surface. Buried under all that goodness. Fully conscious, fully aware.. but trapped. Unable to move or speak. Powerless to act on your desires. So thirsty, so helpless. It must be agony."  
  
"I'm getting real bored with this game." Angelus grabbed Buffy's hand and started to yank her out towards the door.  
  
"Then how about a round of show and tell? Soul.. soul.. who has your soul?" Angelus turned back to find that a glass container containing a swirling mist had appeared on the reading table next to the hearth. "Oh, right.. me!"  
  
Angelus reached out to snatch the jar but his hand passed right through it. It was just an illusion. Buffy glared at the wall. "More smoke and mirrors." She said.  
  
"Only a glamour, yes. But I assure you, my sweets, this very moment I hold the real thing in the palms of my very corporeal hands.. and I will restore it if you don't behave. I'll put you back in your box, Angelus, and bury you so far inside Angel, you'll never claw your way out again claw your way out again."  
  
Angelus glared at Buffy and then, looked up. Through gritted teeth, he said, "All right. What do you want me to do.. master?"  
  
Buffy stared at him incredulously. Then the voice sounded again. "I'd advise you to do the same Buffy."  
  
"I'm not bowing down to you."  
  
"Then go back to your friends. Go back and die fighting a meaningless fight. Even the good Buffy knew it was all worthless: the fighting, the speeches, the hope. You have a purpose now if you'd only embrace it. So here are your options: Either you do what I say, or you go back to that worthless existence. That misery of knowing that there's more after death and not being able to get back to it."  
  
Buffy glowered at Angelus. He didn't look too happy either, but she knew the Beastmaster was right. She didn't want to go back to worthlessness. "Fine." She yelled. "But I'm not calling you master."  
  
"Good. Now here are your orders."  
  
Buffy grimaced, hating that word: orders.  
Faith and Wesley entered a vast vaulted building. Multiple levels surrounded a central atrium with balconies looking out across the marbled floors. The place was under construction with scaffolding rising up from the floor to the upper levels. Faith followed Wesley up a wide staircase to an open area with office equipment arranged haphazardly around the room.  
  
"Even if they got the fake hoodoo from this Maury guy, why would Buffy and Angelus hang around?" Faith asked.  
  
"They wouldn't. But this Maury that Lorne knows may be able to help us find where Angelus and Buffy are hiding."  
  
They approached a desk scattered with occult trinkets only to find Maury lying on the floor on the other side, his throat ripped out. Behind them, Buffy said, "No, but we can." They turned to find Buffy and Angelus smiling wickedly at them from the shadows. "A little birdie in my head told me you'd be here. Exciting!"  
  
Faith strode forward and shot at Angelus with the tranq gun. He ducked aside and the shot missed. Buffy kicked Faith backward into a stack of boxes. Wesley chambered a round in his shotgun and opened fire. Again, Buffy and Angelus' reflexes allowed them to evade the gunfire.  
  
"You gotta do better than that, Wes!" Angelus said. Wes fired again. "Come on! I'll give you one more." Wesley racked the shotgun but before he could fire, Angelus grabbed the barrel, knocking it upward and the shot went into the ceiling. "Strike three." He wrenched the shotgun from Wesley's grasp and hurled him over the balcony and into the scaffolding. Wesley crashed down through the scaffolding to the level below where he landed unconscious among the debris. Faith and Buffy went rolling down the stairs as Buffy tackled the dark headed Slayer. Buffy was the first up and she kicked Faith in the face savagely. She got ready to kick again, but Angelus racked the shotgun and leveled it at Faith.  
  
Buffy smiled. "Uh-oh! Vampire with a gun." Angelus opened fire repeatedly and Faith dove down the rest of the stairs, the buckshot barely missing her. Angelus looked at Buffy. "I see why he likes this thing!"  
  
Faith tumbled to a stop at the bottom of the grand staircase and looked up to find Angelus and Buffy standing right over her, the shotgun's barrel inches from her face. Buffy smiled, knowing exactly what to say. "Wow.. you really have gone soft, now haven't you? Hey, you remember that time you tried to get Angel to kill you because you felt all weepy over being such a bad little girl? Yeah, he told me about that. Do you still feel that way? Do you still want to die?"  
  
"No.." Faith said.  
  
"What's that?" Angelus asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"I can't hear you. Can you hear her Buff?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
Angelus racked the gun and Faith winced, anticipating the killing blow. "Too bad.. cause you're gonna." He racked the gun again and again, ejecting all the shells. "But not like this. Faith seized the opportunity and kicked her legs up, knocking the shotgun from his hands and sending Buffy flying back, then she leapt to her feet and squared off. She attacked, throwing quick jabs before landing a solid blow to Angelus' head. "Whoa! Looks like we got a live one.." Faith threw another punch, but Buffy seized her arm and wrenched it backward, then slammed her fist into Faith's face, stunning her.  
  
"For now." Buffy said. She spun around, throwing a roundhouse kick to Faith's head and she collapsed to the floor. "Little tired, Twinkie? Want to take a break?" She yanked Faith to her feet and punched her in the gut, then pounded her to floor again, kicking her hard enough to send her skidding across the floor to the other side of the room. Faith lied on her back, gasping in pain. She rolled over and blood dripped from her mouth onto the floor. "Faith, do you remember the last time we seriously duked it out? I don't mean when you stole my body, I mean that time after you shot Angel with a poison arrow and left him to die in my arms. Do you remember how that one ended up?"  
  
"Screw you." Faith said.  
  
"Oh, you do remember! How did it end Faith? Remind me." Faith spat blood on Buffy's boot. "Ew! Now that was just uncalled for." Buffy kicked Faith in the face with her boot. "How did it end?"  
  
"You stabbed me."  
  
"And?"  
  
"Six month coma."  
  
"Good! I'm happy you remember."  
  
As Faith held her broken ribs and struggled to her feet, Angelus looked away from Buffy and up at the scaffolding where Wesley fell. Inside, lying among the shattered boards and paint cans, Wesley started to come around. "Hey, buddy! How's it going in there?" Angelus called. He looked at the two Slayers. "Good old Wes.. you can always count on him to tackle a bad situation and make it worse. I mean, hey, look how you turned out." He said to Faith.  
  
"But then again, I guess he didn't really have much to work with, now." Buffy said.  
  
Faith laughed through the blood and the pain. "Save the head-trip. Wes told me you'd try to get under my skin, give me just what I need to scratch you two out."  
  
"Oh, don't tell me! The rousing stiff upper lip speech. Rah rah! Good over evil! Do what must be done! Hang in there, kitten, it's almost Friday! Is that what the scraggly little ponce armed you with to fight the big bad boogedies?"  
  
"Yeah. And this." Faith slipped a dagger out from inside her jacket and whipped it at Buffy, impaling her through the stomach. In an instant, Faith was on her feet, her fists a flurry of punches, rocking Angelus backward and throwing him off-balance as Buffy sunk to the ground. She ripped the knife out of herself and tossed it on the floor. Faith grabbed it and slashed at Angelus, but he dodged and weaved, then kicked the knife from her hand. It flew up through the air as Faith beat Angelus back, kicking him fast and hard. She snatched the knife out of the air as it came back down and raked the blade across Angelus' chest. He hissed in pain and renewed his attack. He kicked her viciously, sending her tumbling backward, then leapt straight up into the scaffolding 30 feet overhead.  
  
"That hurt, Faithy." Angelus said. "Kinda liked it. How about you?" Faith started to answer, but Angelus cut her off. "You hurt my wife. Hell, she may even die. So, I have to get down there and change her here in a sec."  
  
"You're not going to touch her!" Faith screamed.  
  
"There's my girl. I knew she was in there somewhere, dying to come out and play again."  
  
"Shut up."  
  
"I know how it feels. Forced to be someone you're not. Hurts to the bone. You try to bury the pain but you can't get the hole deep enough, can you? No matter how much you dig, it's still there. Broken shards stabbing every time you breathe, cutting you up inside. You know, there's only one way to make the pain stop.. hurt someone else. But you've already done that." Faith spun, dagger raised to strike but Angelus seized her arm, stopping the blow. He brought her arm down on his leg, then kicked her violently and she flew up and onto one of the scaffolding grids, her dagger skittering away across the room. A moment later, Angelus leapt up next to her and attacked. She dodged him, using the metal latticework to avoid his blows while trying to land some of her own. They danced across the scaffolding, dodging and weaving, their movements a kind of obscene ballet. Faith leapt to the top but Angelus was already there. He hurled her off and she fell two dozen feet to the hard marble floor below. Angelus jumped down and landed next to her. "Come on, Faith, you're not even trying." He kicked her in the head, then beat her down to the floor again. "Or is that why you really came back? Not enough to punish yourself with Spike. Is that it? Still looking for someone to help beat the bad out of you?" He double punched her to the head. She staggered, drunkenly, stunned. "You know what the funny part is, darlin'? I could beat you to death and it wouldn't make a difference. Nothing will ever change who you are, Faith." He pounded her to her knees. "You're a murderer.." Another vicious blow to the head. "A animal.." He seized her by the hair and wrenched her head backward. "And you enjoy it. Just like me!"  
  
With a strangled cry of rage, Faith leapt to her feet and delivered a stunning uppercut to Angelus' jaw, rocking him backward. She followed with a roundhouse kick to his chest, snapping several ribs and driving him to the floor. Her fury was like a living thing now and she leapt on Angelus, rolled him over, and pounded him, one devastating blow after another. His head snapped back, then forth, his eyes losing more focus with each shattering punch. Angelus was hers now. She had won. But she suddenly caught herself, stopped, and backed away. "No! You're wrong. I'm different now. I'm not like you."  
  
"Faith.." Buffy said weakly from the floor.  
  
"B!" Faith ran over to Buffy. "I'm so sorry Buffy. I had to."  
  
Buffy looked down at the gushing wound in her stomach, blood seeping through her fingers. "You did it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"You killed me."  
  
"B, no.." Faith was stopped when Buffy shot her fist out and connected with Faith's jaw. The dark haired Slayer flew back into Angelus' arms, just where Buffy had wanted to send her. Faith struggled, but Angelus held her tight. Buffy crawled over to Angelus, still holding her wounded stomach.  
  
"Not like me, huh?" Angelus asked, shifting into game face. "You will be." With that, he sunk his teeth in. He started to drink, but then fell back onto Buffy, gasping. "What.. did you do?" Angelus grabbed onto the scaffolding and tried to haul himself up but the drug was too powerful. He collapsed back to floor, barley conscious. His hand found Buffy's wound, but he didn't press on it. Buffy passed out when Angelus' blood mixed with hers. "You.. you sp.. you spiked.." With that, Angelus' world went dark. 


	61. Orpheus

Chapter 61  
  
Gunn carried Angelus into the lobby. Fred looked up. "Oh, my god! Angelus.."  
  
"Pick up your tranq gun. I don't know how much time we have." Gunn said.  
  
Fred grabbed the pistol and hurried around the counter to where Gunn dumped Angelus on the lobby floor. His hands and feet were bound with rope. "What happened?"  
  
"Wes called. I went." He grabbed the gun from Fred and cocked it, aiming it at Angelus.  
  
"Where is he? Where's Faith? Where's Buffy?"  
  
Lorne wandered into the lobby. "Well, what is all the.. oh! Angelus! He's in the hotel!"  
  
"Get me the steel shackles." Gunn said to Fred. Fred ran back into the office as Lorne stood over Angelus, amazed.  
  
"Oh, but maybe we're already aware of that."  
  
"All I had was rope in the truck." Gunn looked at Angelus and then back at Fred. "The leg irons, too."  
  
"Wesley and Faith and Buffy.. where are they?"  
  
Just then, Connor walked in with Buffy in his arms and Faith in Wesley's. Wes looked at Angelus. "Get him downstairs."  
  
"What happened to Faith and Buffy?" Fred asked.  
  
"Faith stabbed Buffy and captured Angelus."  
  
"God, what did he do to her?"  
  
"Gunn.."  
  
"We got it." Gunn said.  
  
"She looks not well." Lorne said, looking at Buffy's stomach wound.  
  
"She gonna be.." Connor said, but Gunn cut him off.  
  
"Wake up, kid. I need you here. Give Buffy to Lorne."  
  
"I don't.." Lorne said.  
  
"She's not heavy." Connor said. Lorne nodded and took Buffy.  
  
"Follow me." Wes said.  
Buffy looked around in confusion. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in the office after finding out Angel's soul was gone. Now she was standing in crowded city dock and everyone was dressed in early 1900s garb. Steamer ships disgorged immigrants by the hundreds. They stood in lines, hefting everything they owned, waiting to be processed into the United States. Filthy and disheveled, Angel made his way through the teeming throngs.  
  
"Angel?" Buffy asked.  
  
Suddenly Angelus was there, standing right in his path dressed as he was in 21st Century Los Angeles. Angel took no notice, however, and passed right through him. Angelus turned around and watched Angel walk off, confused and angry. "Hey! What is that about?"  
  
"You tell me. It's your flashback." Faith said, appearing next to Buffy. Angelus spun around to find Faith and Buffy standing behind him. He instantly attacked, throwing himself at her, but just like Angel, he passed right through her and tumbled to the ground. Faith looked down at herself, then laughed.  
  
"Faith?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Hey B. Good to have you back. Well.. Sorta."  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"You don't remember?" Angelus attacked again, passing through both Slayers again. Faith laughed. "You know what the definition of insanity is, baby? Performing the same task over and over and expecting different results. Learned that in murder rehab."  
  
"All right, Miss Blow-it-All. This is my flashback. Why are two you in it?" Angelus asked.  
  
"Don't know. Must be the magick side effects of my incredibly simple ruse."  
  
"Side effects?" Buffy put her hand on her stomach and then she remembered. She remembered it all. "Oh God!"  
  
"Hey, B. It's ok. It wasn't you."  
  
"Great! Now she's not even on my side anymore!" Angelus said. "All right. So what is this, huh? Puff the Magic Dragon City? Fairyland?"  
  
"You'd think. Me, I'm guessing it's more like 'Angelus, This Is Your Life' because.. Lack-of-Hygiene world? It sure ain't mine or B's." Faith looked over at Angel from the 1900s. "Seriously, man. Did you miss the invention of the bath?"  
  
"The whole way over here he crouched in the filth of the animals just to avoid human temptation. This isn't my life. It's his!"  
  
"Angel's?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It annoyed the crap out of me the first time around. This sucks. And why do you get to be Marley's ghost?" He asked Faith.  
  
"Cause I'm dying, dumb ass." Faith said.  
  
"Not soon enough."  
  
"Dying Faith? He only bit you."  
  
"It's the drugs, B. They're in you too."  
  
"When he put his hand on my stomach, our blood mixed."  
  
"Yup. You're not gonna die though. Way I figure, I got one last job. Babysit the psycho until they shove a soul up his.."  
  
"Not gonna happen." Angelus said.  
  
"Then I'm.. whatever. Dust in the wind. Candle in the wind. There'll be a general wind theme."  
  
"I thought those suicidal tendencies got squashed in the big enlightenment."  
  
"I rolled the dice. It paid even odds."  
  
Suddenly, a man behind them yelled, "Even odds, one over. Press on the big six! Boxcar's out. Whistle while you're walkin', boys! You're trollin' a graveyard. Throw the bones!"  
  
Buffy, Angelus, and Faith turned and found themselves on a different street in a different city. Faith started walking and Buffy followed. "Trippy."  
  
"Tell me about it." Buffy said, looking back to find Angelus had followed them.  
  
"Early 20's by the cars. What is this? Chicago?" He asked. Buffy saw Angel sitting on a bench across the street. He was cleaned up now but stared vacantly into the night, obviously haunted by something. "Oh, no. I remember this. I remember this place. I gotta get out of here."  
  
"Why? You freakin' out?" Faith asked.  
  
Buffy smiled, knowing what was coming when she heard the tires squeal. Angel had told her about this once a long time ago. Angelus answered her. "It's coming.. again."  
  
"What's coming?"  
  
"I can't do it again. I won't."  
  
"You don't have a choice lover." Buffy said.  
  
"I can't believe you know about this!"  
  
Suddenly Angel bolted off the bench right in front of the oncoming car. Faith screamed, "Angel, get out of the road!"  
  
He zipped in front of the car and scooped up a small puppy from the road just in time to save it from being run down. Angelus winced. "Ah no!" Buffy smiled.  
  
A pretty young flapper ran out of the club and over to Angel, smiling happily at the sight of the puppy. Faith laughed. "Dude! You just rescued a puppy."  
  
The girl took the dog from Angel's arms and smiled at him invitingly. "Oh, my stars! You saved him, mister."  
  
"I'm in hell. This is hell and I'm in it." Angelus said.  
  
"Oh.. gee big fella, how can I thank you?"  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes at both the girl and Angelus. "We haven't fed on a human in decades. She's beggin' for it, you moron!"  
  
"Get lost." Angel said.  
  
"Beg pardon?" the girl asked.  
  
"Take a hike, Betty. Scram."  
  
"Well, pound snow, you mook!" She glared at him and walked back into the club with the puppy.  
  
Faith smiled and wrapped her arm around Buffy's. She looked at Angelus. "We're reliving Angel's good deeds. You are in hell. Wicked."  
Wesley, Fred, and Connor were at the counter. The monitor nearby showed Gunn standing watch over Angelus in the basement. Wesley was the first to speak. "There's only one thing we can do for Faith now.. finish what she started."  
  
"You mean re-ensoul Angel." Fred said.  
  
"Impossible." Connor said. "We've been over this. No jar, no soul. No soul, no Angel."  
  
"It's not that simple, Connor. I've been doing some research.."  
  
"It is simple! Angelus is all that's left. First he slaughtered Lilah, now he's killed Faith.."  
  
"She's not dead yet." Wesley said.  
  
"You're lying to yourselves! You all think that I'm taking this personally so that you don't have to but inside you know I'm right. We need to put Angelus down. For mom if anything."  
  
"I don't think so." Willow said from the doorway. They all turned. "I think you need a witch." She smiled and walked down the stairs. "Did I come at a bad time?"  
  
"Willow?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Willow!" Connor hugged the red headed witch.  
  
"Hi Willow." Fred said.  
  
"Hey, Fred. It's good to see you." Willow said. She looked at Wesley. "Oh, and it's the Marlboro Man.. or at least his extra stubbly, mentally unstable, insomniac first cousin.. oh, for the love of Hecate somebody stop me."  
  
"It's okay. I'm a yammerer from way back."  
  
"Are there forces gathering? Did the call of magick draw you here?" Wes asked.  
  
"Oh, no. More like the call of Fred." Willow said.  
  
"Of course. Bring in the only living person to ever re-ensoul Angel."  
  
"She has a fresh brain. I thought she might see some things we missed." Fred said.  
  
"Well, hearing the thoroughness of your research methodology, I don't think that's possible." Willow said.  
  
"Oh.. go on."  
  
"We should probably start the debriefing. Where's Cordy?"  
  
"Unfortunately, the guy who you're all trying to magickally re-ensoul shot her with a crossbow. She's not up for visitors." Connor said.  
  
"I think she'll want to see Willow. After all, she's traveled a long way and they have a history together." Wes said.  
  
"All right."  
  
Willow started to follow Connor upstairs, but Wes called after her. "Um, what can you do about Buffy?"  
  
"Already done. I fixed her on the way down here."  
Faith and Buffy were sitting on one side of a booth and Angelus was on the other side leaning against the back of the booth seat. Buffy looked up as Angel walked into the empty shop, his hair long, his clothes typical 70's attire. MacArthur Park played on the jukebox as the cashier wiped down the counter. Buffy burst out laughing at the sight of her husband in the bad 70's clothes. Angelus looked at her sharply and Faith just chuckled. She figured it was a good sign that Buffy was laughing. Angel headed for the jukebox and took out some coins as Angelus watched from the corner.  
  
"Bring on the pain!" Angelus said.  
  
Angel made a selection on the jukebox and a Barry Manilow ballad started playing. He closed his eyes and sighed. Disgusted, Angelus sat down in the booth across from Faith and Buffy.  
  
"Mandy, huh? It must kill you he's got a jones for the power ballads." Faith said.  
  
Buffy and Angelus both heard a buzzing noise, but both chose to ignore it. Angelus looked at Faith. "Worse were the concerts."  
  
"Concerts? Did you know about those B?"  
  
"After I forced it out of him, yeah." Buffy said with a suppressed laugh.  
  
A man and a woman emerged from the back and headed for the door, holding hands. Angel watched them, unable to help the bloodlust within him. When they were gone, he sat at the counter, his head in his hands.  
  
"You know what that's like?" Angelus asked. "Every time he gets close, I feel it. Wanting to tear their flesh apart.. the hunger. It's like a blade in my gut!"  
  
"Only it's not your gut. Angel's the one that belongs on the outside. Not you." Buffy said.  
  
"You think it's that cut and dry, don't you? That if Angel gets his soul back.."  
  
"When he gets it back."  
  
"You'll just hang up your spurs and ride off into the sunset, knowing you put the monster back in his cage. But.. I'm always here, Buff. Deep in."  
  
"Don't think I don't know that. I see what Angel goes through every day."  
  
A man in a leather coat walked in and the cashier looked up. "Hi, can I help you?"  
  
The robber pulled a gun and fired at the ceiling. "Give me your money! Give me the cash in the drawer."  
  
"O..ok."  
  
"Open it! Now!"  
  
"All right, all right.. I.. I just have to.."  
  
The cashier reached in his pocket for the key to the register and the robber shot him through the chest. As the cashier dropped to the floor, the robber glanced over at Angel, then bolted from the diner. Angel got up and went around the counter to help the cashier who was gasping and choking, a bright bloom of blood on his white uniform.  
  
"It's gonna be okay. I'll get you to a hospital. You're gonna be okay. Everything's.." Angel said, rocking the man.  
  
"It hurts.."  
  
"Yeah, I know."  
  
"Doc, I think we're losing him! God, I love this episode." Angelus said. The buzzing came back and Buffy looked around while Angelus swatted at the air. "What is that buzzing?"  
  
Buffy looked over at Angel who said, "God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," as the cashier took his last breath. Then it hit her what was about to happen. Angel had told her about this one too. It had pained him, but he trusted Buffy enough to tell her about it.  
  
"So.. who's your big hero now?" Angelus asked.  
  
"It wasn't even his fault. God, does the guy gotta pay for everything?" Faith asked.  
  
"Choices, little girl. The ones you make with your heart of hearts."  
  
Angel shook his head and moved toward the door but hesitated, looking back at the dead cashier.  
  
"Angel.." Buffy said softly.  
  
Angelus smiled, knowing that she knew about this. "Uh-oh.. what's gonna happen?"  
  
"He won't." Faith said.  
  
Angel pulled the door shut and locked it, then went back to the cashier's body.  
  
"I'm deep in, Faith. Soul or no soul." Angelus said.  
  
"Angel!"  
  
Angel's face shifted and he sunk his fangs into the cashier, drinking deeply. Buffy turned away and leaned against the booth. Faith shook her head, revolted, then winced and put her fingers to her own neck. They come away bloody.  
  
"He was going to save him." Buffy said.  
  
"Or did he choose to be a little slow on the draw? Whoops! Dinner by armed robbery. Look at him, Buff. You're a murderer now. You know just how good that blurry line tastes. You didn't think my hell was private, did ya?"  
  
Angel raised his head from the cashier's neck with a tormented scream. Buffy covered her ears and silently cried. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a New York alley.  
  
"It'll all be worth it. Is that what you try and tell yourself, Faithy?" Angelus asked. Buffy turned to find Faith standing up next to her and Angelus lying in the garbage. "Is that the nasty little lie that kept those thighs nice and warm in your prison bunk?"  
  
"You kiss your mama with that mouth?" Faith asked.  
  
"No, but I ate her with it." He levitated to his feet and regarded the two Slayers coolly. "And now for a poem: Faith goes gently into that good night. You're fadin' fast, baby. I can feel it."  
  
"All the same, I hear this holler in the distance.." Faith said. "Tells me you're about to get what's coming to you."  
  
"Or not. I've got friends in high places." A sudden clattering of garbage cans behind them and Angel appeared, chasing after a rat. "Him not being one of em." Angel seized the rat and bit into it, draining the squealing creature dry.  
  
"Ugh.. when is this?"  
  
"Right before he was called to watch over me." Buffy said quietly.  
  
Angelus didn't hear her. "When isn't it? Twenty years after that stupid donut shop and his fingers never smelled of anything but rat! 'I'm so sorry. I give up. I'm gonna live in a sewer.'"  
  
"He's paying for what he did." Buffy said.  
  
"He's hiding from what he is.. which may be a big Psych 101 revelation for you, cupcake, but I already know this crap so why do I have to go through it again?"  
  
"Maybe because it's not about you.. jackass." Angel said behind them.  
  
Buffy turned. "Angel!?"  
  
"It's me."  
  
Buffy ran up and hugged him tightly. "Oh God. I'm so sorry. Everything I did.."  
  
"Shh, it's ok. It wasn't really you." He winced. "Sweetie?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Can you lay off with the strength? I'm not as strong here as I am in your time."  
  
Buffy eased up. "Sorry." She took his hand and turned back to Faith and Angelus.  
  
"Spare me the love fest." Angelus said. "I don't believe this. You're the one behind this whole true Hollywood sob story?"  
  
"Angel, it's good to see you. Hate the hair." Faith said.  
  
"Faith, why are you and Buffy still here?" Angel asked.  
  
"I'm here because I have no other choice. Dumbo over there mixed his blood with mine." Buffy said.  
  
"And me? Just waiting to see this pervert get stuffed back into the deep crazy ground he came from." Faith said.  
  
"And then what?" Angel asked. "After that, what happens?"  
  
Angelus drop-kicked Faith into the side of the building. "Probably something like that. I had a feeling the rules had changed."  
  
Angel kissed Buffy's hair and then walked toward Angelus, squaring off with him. "She's not who you're after. Neither of them are."  
  
"No kiddin', rat boy. Faith will just be gravy once I finish you off. Oh, but Buff over there.. Can't wait to have another taste of her just before I turn her."  
  
Angel narrowed his eyes. "You won't touch her."  
  
Both Angel and Angelus said, "I've been waiting a long time for this." Angelus attacked Angel who matched his blows move-for-move.  
  
Buffy rushed over to Faith who was barely conscious. "Faith, wake up. Are you listening?"  
  
"B, I'm dying."  
  
"Yeah, it's a lot easier than redemption, huh?" Angel asked, blocking a punch from Angelus.  
  
"Always so concerned with the human condition.." Angelus said. He seized Angel by the coat and hurled him down the alley, then walked over to Faith and kicked her in the head. "It's no big mystery. They suffer, they die. That's what they're there for." Angel tackled Angelus and this time it was Angelus who got thrown across the alley and into the wall. He got back up and went to attack Angel. Buffy screeched and threw herself into Angelus' torso. They rolled to the ground and Angelus had a hard time fending off the powerfully pissed off Slayer. She got him pinned against a wall and kneed him in the groin. "Asshole! You put me through hell the first time." Buffy punched him hard. "I never got to properly kick your ass." Punch, punch. "And by the way.." Kick. "It's not my fault my mother died!" She sent a flying kick to his chest and he flew backwards into the far wall.  
  
Angel watched his beautiful wife kick the crap out of the demon that wore her lover's face. After another second of watching, Angel looked at Faith. "I'm not perfect, Faith. Even with a soul I've done things I've wished a thousand times I could take back."  
  
"Yeah, like those Manilow concerts, you son of a bitch!" Angelus called from the other side of the alley. Buffy punched him in the face and he shut up for the time being.  
  
"Faith! Wake up!"  
  
She reluctantly opened her eyes. "I've rolled the bones. You for me."  
  
"I used to think that. That there'd be a point when I'd paid my dues."  
  
Suddenly, Angelus was there with a metal pipe in his hand. Buffy was struggling to get up from the ground, her stomach bleeding and a large gash across her cheek was spurting blood too. Angelus cracked Angel in the head with the pipe. "Anybody notice a battle with your alter ego going on here?"  
  
Angel picked up Angelus and hurled him face-first into a brick wall. Angelus crumpled to the ground, stunned and barely conscious. Angel went over to Buffy and helped her over to Faith. He set his wife down gently and then pulled Faith to him. She was hanging on by a thread, almost dead. "Faith, listen to me. You saw me drink. It doesn't get much lower than that.. and I thought I could make up for it by disappearing."  
  
"I did.. My time." Faith said.  
  
"Our time is never up, Faith. We pay for everything." Buffy said weakly.  
  
"It hurts.."  
  
"I know.. I know." Angel said.  
  
Buffy brought a limp hand to Faith's shoulder. "Get up. You have to get up now, Faith. You have to fight. I need you to fight for me."  
  
"You understand what we're saying?"  
  
Angelus kicked Angel in the face and Angel went flying away. "What won't I miss?" He swung the metal pipe and connected with Angel's chest. "The moralizing. Soul's already in the ether, boy-o. I can smell it. How about I send it off to that big puppy rescue in the sky?"  
  
Faith stood up behind Angelus. "Arf, arf, psycho."  
  
Angelus turned around to find Faith on her feet and standing behind him. "Faith.. getting back into the game?"  
  
"I guess I am."  
  
He swung the pipe at her head and she vanished. "Hey!"  
Buffy looked around her. She was in her and Angel's room at the hotel. Suddenly, a rush of energy went through her and she bolted down to the basement. Her stomach burned like crazy, and she knew it was bleeding, but she ignored it. Faith was down there already, fighting with Connor. Angel still laid in the cage, his wrists and ankles chained. Buffy broke the locks on the door and then rushed into the cage. She unshackled him and just as she got the last one off his wrist, he woke up. Connor was near the cage. Together, Buffy and Angel grabbed an arm and held him back.  
  
"Connor, it's over. It's us. Really." Angel said, with a glance at Buffy. Connor slumped back against the cage, the will to fight gone. Reluctantly, his parents let him go. He turned to them and Buffy gave him a weak smile and looked down at her stomach.  
  
"Are you ok?" Angel asked, cupping Buffy's cheek.  
  
"Oh, I'll be fine." With that Buffy crumpled. Angel caught her before she hit the floor and held her against him.  
  
"Shh." He stroked her hair. "Wes get the first aid, we need to patch her up better."  
An hour later, Buffy and Angel sat out in the garden, staring at the flowers and stars. She was feeling a little better and her wound was healing fast. Angel squeezed her hand and she looked over at him. "How're you doing?"  
  
"I've been better." Buffy said.  
  
"I know the feeling."  
  
"How're you doing? I mean, you're the one that.."  
  
"Yeah. You remember that brooding Angel you once knew? The one that came back after Angelus was loosed after your birthday? I'm not going to be him this time. I can finally let go."  
  
"Because you're not him." Buffy looked away, near tears.  
  
Angel took her chin gently. "Hey, that wasn't you either. That was a soulless Buffy."  
  
"No, I was in there. I knew what I was doing and I couldn't stop it. I couldn't break free. I almost did when Faith stabbed me. I managed to get her name out, but then.."  
  
"Evil Buffy came back." Buffy nodded sadly. "Buffy, I know it wasn't you. There was no trace of a soul anywhere when Angelus looked in your eyes."  
  
"Hey." Faith said, walking out onto the garden.  
  
"How are you feeling?" Angel asked, he and Buffy turning to look at Faith.  
  
"Like I did mushrooms and got eaten by a bear."  
  
"That about sums it up." Buffy said.  
  
"Yep."  
  
"And now you're going back to Sunnydale."  
  
"Yeah. I think I prefer the bear but that's where I'm needed."  
  
Buffy sighed. "We never stop fighting."  
  
"Hey, I was gonna but someone got all pep-talky on me." Faith said with a glance at Angel.  
  
"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't get to see you.. our little brain-tour notwithstanding." Angel said.  
  
"It's ok. I'll see you when we get home."  
  
"We have a lot to thank you for." Buffy said.  
  
"Well, that vice is plenty versa. Don't even start. It's only gonna lead to hugging and.."  
  
"No, we can't have that." Angel joked.  
  
"No!" They all walked back into the hotel to find Connor talking to Wes and Gunn.  
  
"All right, I get it. I messed up." Connor said.  
  
Buffy walked up and lightly punched him on the shoulder. "Hey, cheer up, punk. That just makes you one of us."  
  
"You all headed out?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Yeah, no tears, big guy." Faith said.  
  
"Nah, I'm good. I just wish I could've seen you kicking the crap out of junior here."  
  
"It was pretty funny." Faith walked over to Wes. "Wes."  
  
"Faith."  
  
"See? Brits know how to say goodbye. Angel here wanted to hug."  
  
"No I didn't." Angel said.  
  
"You ran a good show." Wesley said to Faith.  
  
"Yeah, sit back and let the girl do all the heavy lifting." Gunn said.  
  
Wesley nodded and smiled slightly despite himself. "That's pretty much it."  
  
Fred and Willow entered from the office. Willow carried a large leather- bound book, a gift from Fred. "I think that volume's outdated. You'd know better than me but there's some interesting stuff about Hellmouths. It might help." Fred said.  
  
"This is great!" Willow said.  
  
"I have to say, someday I'd love to bend your ear about the Pergamum Codex. I think some of the really obscure passages are actually Latin translated from a demonic tongue and they're kind of a hoot. All this stuff about bacchanals and spells and.. actually, I think it's probably funnier in Latin. You know how that is sometimes."  
  
"I'm seeing someone." Willow said.  
  
Buffy smiled. "Hey Will, you and Kennedy gettin' it on?" Willow blushed. "I'm teasing.. Unless you are." Willow's eyes widened. "You are!" Buffy's smile broadened. "You know what? I won't embarrass you anymore. Time goes by, Will."  
  
"Okay. Good. Wagons west. See you guys when you get there."  
  
"Willow." Angel said.  
  
"They're gonna tell you how much they owe you." Faith said.  
  
"Oh, don't mention it. I got one Slayer back out of two from the deal so we're even-steven." Willow said. She walked over and hugged both Buffy and Angel. "See you guys." She headed towards the door with Faith, but stopped and turned back. "Oh, next time you guys resurrect Angelus.. Let me first, okay?"  
  
Faith opened the door and waved goodbye and they both headed out into the night. Angel and Buffy looked after them for a moment, then turned to the others. "So we're back." Angel said.  
  
"It would seem." Wes said.  
  
"Look, I know things have been.."  
  
"Sorry, Angel, but if this is the speech about how the worst is behind us.." Cordy interrupted as she descended the stairs extremely pregnant and wearing a provocative black outfit. "You may want to save it for later."  
  
Buffy's jaw dropped and Angel gaped just as much as she did. 


	62. Players

Chapter 62  
  
"At first I thought it was Xander's, but after.. I knew it couldn't. I know it's a bit of a shock. I mean, nobody's more shocked than me." Cordy looked at Connor. "Okay, maybe him."  
  
"Connor?" Buffy asked. "Why would.. Oh."  
  
"What?" Angel asked.  
  
"Connor.. He uh.. And Cordy."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I think I need to sit down."  
  
"Me too."  
  
Cordy watched the two sit down. "I understand, but it all happened so quick. Connor and I are just as shocked as everyone else."  
  
"Umm.. sorry to be so.. but I'm.. like you said. Kind of shocked." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah.. definitely shocked." Gunn added.  
  
"I haven't been hiding or ashamed or anything. It's just with the Beast and his psycho master and then Faith and Willow and all that drama-rama, not to mention.." Cordy said.  
  
"Angelus and me." Buffy said, staring at the floor in a daze.  
  
"Everything's been so Clash of the Titans around here. I didn't want to be a.. distraction."  
  
The doors opened and Lorne strolled in. He stopped short and stared at Cordy's bulging belly. "Well, put me on the short bus and send me off to clueless school. A mystical pregnancy right under my beak and not even a tingle. Huh.."  
  
"How long have you known?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Some time after we brought forth Angelus." Cordy said.  
  
"When did you and.." Angel asked.  
  
"About four days after the Rain of Fire. Xander doesn't know. Like I said, it all happened so quick. It was right after Buffy had broken down over losing Angel's soul."  
  
"Oh boy." Buffy said.  
  
"Well, that's a couple of weeks." Gunn said. "Looks more like 8 months."  
  
"The last time Cordelia was impregnated, she came to term overnight." Wes said.  
  
"That was a crawly, evil demon thing. This is different." Cordy said.  
  
"Still.. shouldn't we try and find out.. what's in there?" Fred asked.  
  
"We already know. Our baby." Connor said, walking over to Cordy.  
  
"Well, congratulations. You're going to have a grandspawn." Gunn said to Buffy and Angel.  
  
Buffy laughed. "I need a drink." She got up and walked into the office. She slammed the door and walked over to the window, drawing the shades.  
  
"Well.." Lorne said.  
  
"You don't know what it's like. How scary it is. I'm going to have a child and all you can do is joke because you don't like me." Connor turned to Cordelia. "We shouldn't have told them." He ran upstairs.  
  
"Cordelia.." Fred said.  
  
"I know it's hard to understand. None of you have ever had a living being growing inside of you. And this.. my sweet baby. We're connected. I feel what it feels and I can't explain it but I sense its goodness.. its love." Cordy turned. "You'll see." She turned back to them. "My baby will be here soon and then you'll all see."  
  
Angel stood up. "I, uh.. Buffy should really stay away from the alcohol." He walked into the office. Buffy had a bottle of strong Irish whiskey in her hand and she had her head down on the desk. "Buffy?"  
  
She looked up at him, her face streaked with tears. Before she spoke, she took a swig of the bottle. "He's only 17!"  
  
"Shh.."  
  
"NO SHH! I will not shh!" She took a swig. "My little boy who's really only supposed to be a few months old is going to have a.. thing! And I'm going to be a grandmother at 22!" Another swig. "Mother at 21. Grandmother at 22! Maybe I'll get to be a great-grandmother next year, huh?"  
  
"Buffy, you're drunk."  
  
"Oh, not yet. But I intend to get very shitfaced before the night is over."  
  
"Give me the bottle."  
  
"No! It's mine. I need something to drown my sorrows in." Angel rubbed his face and stared at Buffy. "Here." She poured him a glass and handed it to him. "Drink up. It helps."  
  
Angel set the glass down. "Buffy.."  
  
"How can you be so calm about this? Our SON is going to have a HELLSPAWN with CORDELIA!"  
  
"I'm really not that calm. We just need to figure out what's inside Cordy before the thing gets out."  
  
"Cordeeee's crazy by the way."  
  
"What?"  
  
"No pregnant woman would wear that outfit, let alone those shoes! Did you see those shoes? They were all high heeled and platform-y." Swig. "You just dun wear that when you're eight months pregnant!" Swig.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Yeah!" Swig. "I always complained bout big heals and big tummy. Dun you member? I couldn't even where my boots!" Swig. This time when Buffy threw back the bottle, she threw back herself too. As soon as her ass hit the floor, she was laughing and drinking.  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"S'not my fault Cordeeelia's craaazeeee." She took a swig and giggled as she stood up. "Oh.. Waitaminute. I don't.." Angel caught her before she hit the floor. She was laughing, but swooning just a little too. Way too much alcohol at one time. Even worse was the Irish whiskey. Angel held her in his arms for a moment and stroked her face and hair.  
  
"Well, I see why we were made for each other. Come on." He walked out the door where the gang was talking, Buffy hanging on at his side. "Easy-Bake, flop-a-palooza, whoosh, pop. I don't skulk. I've been thinking about the past few weeks and Angelus and Buffy."  
  
"Speaking of.. What's wrong with her?" Gunn asked.  
  
"She's a little drunk. Too much whiskey. I know it's because of Connor and Cordy and the baby-thing, but I think a lot of it's got to do with Angelus and evil Buffy."  
  
"Angel, you guys can't feel guilty for anything Angelus and evil Buffy did." Fred said.  
  
"I don't. I knew the risks. We all did.. and some of us paid a higher price than others." He looked down at Buffy. "She's never been through that and I understand. She had no intention of going bad. And Wes, Angelus didn't kill Lilah. She was already dead, killed by the Beast. Buffy and Angelus found her."  
  
"Yup! Dead as a doornail!" Buffy said. She looked at Angel. "Is a doornail ever alive? I mean, where did that saying come from anyhow? Can you ever say a doornalimumphgahsphumpert.."  
  
Angel covered Buffy's mouth. "You're not helping."  
  
"Well, that's.. less terrible. About Lilah I mean." Fred said.  
  
"There's no excuse for.. what Angelus did to her but I'm sorry for your loss." Angel said. Wes nodded. "We've got two pressing matters: figuring out what we can about Cordelia's pregnancy and destroying the Beast's master. Lorne, you're.."  
  
"Reliable as a cheap fortune cookie?" Lorne said.  
  
"Can I have a fortune cookie?" Buffy asked.  
  
Angel smiled and shook his head. He looked back at Lorne. "I was going to say a guy with good contacts. There have to be rumblings around town about this new player. Talk to your sources. See if anyone knows anyone who might know anything."  
  
"I'm your demon."  
  
"Fred, Wesley, if there's experts on mystical births, we're it."  
  
"We'll pull all the files on Buffy and her pregnancy, see what we can find." Wes said.  
  
"Don't remind me!" Buffy said.  
  
"Gunn, I want you to sit tight for now." Angel said. "Never hurts to have some muscle on deck. In the meantime, there has to be a reason why the Beast's master wanted Angelus. I'm going to piece together everything I know. Things he said to Buffy and I when he was in our heads, everything they've done. Maybe something will.."  
  
"Strike you?" Gwen asked from the door. "Careful what you wish for."  
  
"Oh great! Well, look who's back now that the lights are on. It's the cheap leather clad hussy that keeps a'comin' after my husband!" Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, missed you, too, babe."  
  
"Don't mind her, she's drunk." Angel said.  
  
"That I am! But I'm just tellin' the truth." Buffy said.  
  
"Gwen, it's really not a great time for a social call. We're pretty swamped, you know.. apocalypse."  
  
"The thing is, there's a girl. She's in trouble. That's what you guys do, right?" Gwen asked.  
  
"DUH!" Buffy said. "Yeah!"  
  
"So I'm in a jam. I can't get out of it alone. I need someone suave, a guy who can handle himself in a tight spot."  
  
Angel smiled modestly. "Gwen, I'd love to help.." Buffy whacked his stomach.  
  
"I meant him." Gwen pointed to Gunn.  
  
"Goody for Gunn! Angel, take me to bed!" Angel chuckled and started to haul Buffy to the steps. "Hey! Wait! Dun forget my bottle!"  
  
"No more for you." Angel said, leading her up the stairs.  
  
"Poophead."  
  
"Yes, that's me. I'm Angel, the husband of the Slayer, the vampire with a soul, the dark avenger, and the poophead."  
  
"Darn tootin'." Angel opened the door to their room and picked Buffy up. "Oh, this is just like our wedding night."  
  
"Only you were a lot less drunk."  
  
"Where're we goin?"  
  
"To bed."  
  
"Oh! I'll strip first!"  
  
"No. No stripping. Sleeping."  
  
"Not tired."  
  
"No. You're drunk. Hopefully you'll pass out and the whiskey will leave your bloodstream."  
  
"I gotta pee. Put me down." Angel did and as soon as Buffy's feet were on the ground, she was rushing to the bathroom. Instead of using the bathroom, she was throwing up. Being the Slayer meant that everything was faster. Healing faster, moving faster, fighting faster, and getting a hangover faster. Angel held her hair up for her like he had done throughout the months she was pregnant. Once she was finished, he flushed and carried her back to the bed.  
  
Buffy laid there and allowed him to take off her boots. "I've got a headache."  
  
"It comes with the lovely world of being drunk and sobering up." Angel said gently, stroking her clammy forehead. "Want me to get you some water?" Buffy nodded. He got up and poured her a glass of cold tap water. Before going back, Angel grabbed a washcloth and moistened it with cool water. When he got back to the bed, Buffy was asleep. Angel smiled and set the glass down on the nightstand. As he patted the cool rag on her forehead, a knock came at the door. "Come on in, Cordelia."  
  
Cordy walked in. "You know, that never stops creeping me out."  
  
"Yeah? Kind of creeped out myself."  
  
"Can we not do this right now?"  
  
"Okay by me. Kind of in the middle of something, anyway."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"She had too much whiskey. She's asleep right now." Angel turned to Cordy. "She's not the only thing I'm busy with though."  
  
"Anything coming to mind?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Nothing?"  
  
"Well, to be honest, I'm almost pining for the halcyon days of the Beast."  
  
"Right.. cause it's not like he slaughtered hundreds of people with his bare hands."  
  
"No, the Beast was just a flunky."  
  
"Who did his master's bidding."  
  
"Killing Manny, stealing my soul, murdering Lilah.. Those are surgical strikes. They're not the smash-and-trash style of the Beast."  
  
"But if lava-boy didn't do all that, who did?"  
  
"His master."  
  
"I'm his master. I'm his all-powerful master and I'm going to break into a guarded room, steal your soul from a safe.. not by ripping it open but by using the combination.. then I'm going to hunt and kill Lilah right under this very roof. Sure. Evil geniuses live for that playing-with-fire stuff."  
  
"You don't understand. This thing was in my head. Both of our heads." Angel said, indicating Buffy. "We've heard him and he's insane enough to pull those kind of stunts."  
  
"When you say insane, you mean like diabolical?"  
  
"No, I mean like deluded and demented. And he spoke to us in this cheesy self-important voice. I bet he doesn't even have a master plan. He's just making it up as he goes along." Cordy gave him a look that said she was upset. "Hey, don't worry. We'll figure it out. Come on, anybody as daredevil-y as this guy will slip up sooner or later and when he does.. he's dead." Cordy smiled. Behind him, Buffy shifted and groaned. "I better.."  
  
"Yeah. Ok. Give her some Pepto Bismal. That might help a little with her stomach."  
  
"Thanks. I will." Cordy walked out of the room and shut the door. Angel picked up the washcloth and went to put more cool water on it.  
Buffy woke up a while later and looked around the room. Her head spun and it felt like someone with a sledgehammer was pounding to the tune of the Cha Cha Slide. "Oh boy. Angel?" No one answered. She guessed they were all downstairs. On unsteady legs, she got up and walked downstairs. Wesley and Fred were standing in front of Angel who was sitting behind the desk drawing something.  
  
"You know, this would be a lot easier if you two weren't hovering." Angel said.  
  
"Take your time. No rush." Wes and Fred both said.  
  
"No rush for what?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Buffy! You're awake!" Fred said.  
  
"Shh. The little man pounding in my head goes faster when there's a lot of noise."  
  
"Sorry." Fred whispered.  
  
Angel smiled at her. "I'm just trying to remember what those symbols were in the books Angelus was reading."  
  
"Sounds like fun." Buffy said.  
  
Angel flipped the notepad around and Wes and Fred rushed up. "I think that's it."  
  
"What's it?" Cordy asked behind Buffy. "Hi Buffy, feeling better?"  
  
"A little." Buffy said, moving away from Cordy and closer to Angel.  
  
"We're trying to remember a passage from Lilah's beastie book. The one Angelus destroyed after the big boom-y voice threatened to re-ensoul him." Angel said.  
  
"Angel's been visualizing the text, trying to recreate it." Fred said.  
  
"Just a little thing I can do.."  
  
"You think there was something in that book that high and spite-y didn't want us to know about?" Cordy asked.  
  
"He's definitely hiding something."  
  
Wesley looked at the notepad. "I recognize the text. It's an early Fallorian code system. Let's see. 'The green.. cart-like vehicle.. eats.. I am not a bucket-head.'"  
  
"Damn it."  
  
"It's a tricky language. An inverted serif can alter the meaning of an entire passage."  
  
"What now?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I try again." Angel said, taking the notepad back. The others watched, but he shot them a glare and they all walked away guiltily except Buffy. Angel looked up. "You ok?"  
  
"I'm trying to remember something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Something the Beastmaster said."  
  
"He said a lot of things."  
  
"I know, but it's one specific thing I'm thinking of. He said sweet boy."  
  
"I know. Cordy said it too."  
  
"You're thinking Cordy's the Beastmaster."  
  
Angel nodded. "Lorne's out right now finding a spell to get back his non- fuzzy readings. Or at least that's what we're going to make Cordy think."  
  
"It's all a façade?"  
  
"Yup."  
  
"And this whole trying to figure out what the passage was, it is too?"  
  
"No. I'm actually trying to remember that."  
  
"Need help? I looked at the book too."  
  
"Sure. I can use all the help I can get. Well, actually I need the only other person that was there." Buffy smiled and pulled a chair up next to Angel. About an hour later, Angel called Wesley back in. He handed the piece of paper to Wes. "Try this one."  
  
"Something about.. strangling poultry." Wes said.  
  
Buffy sighed. Angel looked over at her. "That's it. We gotta get out of here. I think Buffy could use some fresh air."  
  
Buffy nodded and they got up and headed for the door as Lorne came bustling in. "Uh-uh. Easy does it, compadres. No huffy exits before I spill the joyous news."  
  
"About the baby?" Buffy asked.  
  
"About el jefe?" Cordy asked.  
  
"No and no. My sources got nothing on mystical birthing or the Big Kahuna. But Wanda, that demon you recommended.. what a peach, by the way.. anyway, she sold me this cleansing abracadabra to clear my muddled mind." Lorne said.  
  
"You're empathic again?" Fred asked.  
  
Lorne unfolded a black cape. "Please, you think this Dungeons & Dragons cloak is a fashion statement? I gotta do this whole song and dance."  
  
"Well, we're getting nowhere. If you need extra hands.." Wes offered.  
  
"Sorry, I can only take my two. Ritual has to be performed solo. Just me and my shadow, secluded in a dark, dusty nowhere land. But the upside is I should be all systems-go come sunrise."  
  
"Then you'll be able to read me?" Cordy asked.  
  
"No worries, dumplin'. Come morning, I'll be a lean, mean, belly-readin' machine."  
  
Cordy smiled nervously.  
Buffy and Angel watched from the dark as Lorne performed his "ritual." The whole thing was a trap for Cordy. If it was going to work, it would have to soon. Suddenly, Buffy's sensitive ears picked up the sound of something larger than a rat walking the catwalk above. She looked over as Cordelia descended the stairs and approached Lorne from behind, her dagger raised to strike. Suddenly the lights snapped on all around them and Cordelia spun around to find Buffy and Angel standing right behind her, staring at her expressionlessly.  
  
"Buffy.. Angel.." Cordy said.  
  
She turned to run but Wesley and Fred appeared out of the shadows and surrounded her. Wesley racks his shotgun and Fred aimed a tranq gun at her. With nowhere to go, Cordelia turned back to Buffy and Angel and stared icily at them as Lorne slid a toy Magic 8-Ball out from under his altar and shook it. "Has Cordy been a bad, bad girl?" 


	63. Inside Out

Chapter 63  
  
Cordelia realized her deception was over and she dropped the pretense. She faced off with Wes and Fred who held her at gunpoint, and Lorne, who completed the circle around her. Then she turned her attention to Buffy and Angel who looked at her with disdain.  
  
"All this time, it was you.. wasn't it?" Buffy asked, a little heartbroken.  
  
"Took you long enough to figure it out but nice turn with the Lorne-bait. You know, there was a time I would have seen that one coming eons before it ever crossed your tiny little mind."  
  
"Because you're so clever." Angel said.  
  
"On a scale of you to me? Pretty damn."  
  
"Until now."  
  
"All good things.. So what finally tipped off the great detective?"  
  
"Tongue. Slip of. 'My sweet.' The same phrase the Beast's master kept using when he was whispering in Buffy and Angelus' heads. Thought it was a bit femme for the booming macho act."  
  
"That's it? I get away with bringing the world down around you and two eensy words tingle your spider sense?"  
  
"That plus, no pregnant woman in her right mind would wear shoes with that high of a heel." Buffy said. "Did you forget I carried an actual baby for nine months?"  
  
"What we already knew, what Angel and Buffy found out when they were evil.. all the circumstantial led to you." Wesley said.  
  
"We just needed to be sure." Angel said.  
  
Cordy snorted. "A little late to the table but I might have a few scraps left."  
  
"Why are you doing this, Cordy?" Fred asked.  
  
"This thing isn't Cordelia." Angel said.  
  
Cordy smiled. "Is that what you think, hero?"  
  
"She would never hurt her friends like this."  
  
"Or maybe you just don't know me very well."  
  
"I don't want to know you." Cordelia whipped her dagger up to strike but Angel batted her hand aside and seized her by the throat. "Where's Cordelia?"  
  
Cordelia's eyes bulged as he cut off her air supply. Suddenly the skylight above shattered and Connor jumped through and dropped to the floor. Buffy knew that he planned to take Cordy out of there. "Connor, wait! Cordy's not what you think."  
  
Connor back-flipped up and over Buffy and Angel, then hurled them both into Wesley as he cocked his shotgun. They all tumbled to the floor. Lorne took aim at Connor with a crossbow and fired. The bolt flew wide and Connor kicked Lorne backward into a concrete column with devastating force. Lorne crumpled to the floor unconscious. Fred charged forward with her tranq gun as Angel got to his feet but Connor yanked her forward by the arm and swung the gun around, firing at Angel. The dart slammed into Angel's shoulder; the drug's effects were immediate. He swayed drunkenly on his feet as Connor turned around and viciously backhanded Fred. Buffy dove for Connor, but he kicked her in the stomach where Faith had stabbed her and then reached for Cordelia's hand.  
  
"Come on!" He said.  
  
Angel dropped to his knees next to a bleeding Buffy as Cordelia walked past them, smiling wickedly. "What.. are.. you.." He collapsed to the floor, unconscious. as Lorne's Magic 8-Ball rolled to a stop next to him. The cube inside rose to the surface in the answer window. It said, "Ask again later."  
  
Buffy looked over at Angel, grasping her wound tightly. Connor's kick had reopened it and it was bleeding pretty badly. She felt the world start to spin, but she fought it back as she went over to Wesley and shook him. He came to a couple of minutes later only to catch a fainting Buffy. Wes tore off the bottom of his shirt and tied it tightly around Buffy's small waist to stop the bleeding.  
Gunn walked in the front door to find the others dejected and nursing their wounds. Buffy looked a little pale and Angel looked seriously groggy. "Sorry, just got your message. Being close to Electric Gwen can really screw your equipment. What.. the hell happened to you?"  
  
"Cordy's evil. Nice suit." Buffy said.  
  
Angel walked up to her and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her lightly to him. "It's not Cordy."  
  
"We don't know that for certain." Wesley said, trying to help.  
  
"Whoa! Back it up for the new guy. You're saying poppin' mama threw you a beating?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Kid Vicious did the heavy lifting." Lorne said, sipping a Sea Breeze. "Cordy just mwa-ha-ha'd at us."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Beastmaster." Angel said.  
  
"You think she's working for him?"  
  
"She is the Master." Buffy said. Her eyes went wide and she swayed a little, holding her stomach and covering her mouth. "I think I need to throw up."  
  
"I think we all feel that way." Fred said.  
  
"No, I think it's from the loss of blood and the really light headed-ness."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Angel put his arm around her waist to steady her. Gunn looked around at everyone. "Guy steps out for a few hours, half the place goes super- villain."  
  
"Connor's not a part of this." Buffy said.  
  
"Evidence upside my head to the contrary." Lorne said.  
  
"He's just.. confused. Again."  
  
"Now we know what she was doing with him all this time." Fred said. "She was grooming him."  
  
"As her champion." Wesley said.  
  
"She's the evil genius that's been two-steppin' all over us. How? And when?" Gunn grabbed Lorne's drink. "Give me a sip of that."  
  
"Has she been like this since she got back from the higher.. wherever?" Fred asked.  
  
"And what about that amnesia thing? Was that a fake-out?"  
  
"Or a side effect. Descending to a lower dimension was probably disorienting." Wesley suggested.  
  
"Or maybe this thing crawled deep inside for the trip on some kind of.. auto pilot. Look, all we know for sure is the real damage didn't start until after Lorne's spell."  
  
"Oh, my god.. we woke it up." Fred said.  
  
"That's what I read. That's what Wolfram & Hart sucked out of my noodle. It wasn't Cordelia's future. It was the smacker-jack surprise." Lorne said.  
  
"Damn thing's been playin' us right from the start." Gunn said.  
  
"From the inside.. where it can do the most damage." Buffy said.  
  
"Everything the Beast couldn't have done.. it was this thing." Angel said. "Spiked my blood and Buffy's drink at Gwen's, snuck into the vault and killed Manny."  
  
"Wait a minute. Faux-Cordy wasn't even there." Gunn said.  
  
"It knew where we were." Buffy said. "It knew where we were going. And taking out the Svea Priestesses was a lot easier. Slip out while the heroes are chasing their tails.. Then slaughter the only hope of banishing her pet Beast. Then while everyone was reeling from that failure, it was making sure Angel's soul was off the market along with mine."  
  
"How did she do that?" Gunn asked.  
  
"A simple spell to shrink the soul away and give control to a Slayer's dark side. Giles told me about it a long time ago. Guess who was with me when he told me?"  
  
"Cordelia. So it gets the memories too." Wesley said.  
  
"Of course. There's no other way to stay on the inside and not be obvious without knowing everything Cordy knew."  
  
"And the vision of the spell to re-ensoul you?" Fred asked Angel.  
  
"Misdirection." Angel said. "Getting everyone to look over here.. while the real action was happening over there."  
  
"That explains why my mojo's been gucked up. Queen Beeyatch put the whammy on me." Lorne said.  
  
"Then it let the monsters out of the box." Buffy said. "And then with Lilah. Just more misdirection, more blood. All designed to keep us off balance."  
  
"It was Cordelia.. she murdered Lilah." Wes said.  
  
"We don't know if it's really Cordy." Angel said.  
  
"Or what she's got baking in her oven." Buffy added.  
  
"Evil and pregnant? I'm guessing it ain't cookies." Gunn said.  
  
"So we need to find her and Connor. By the looks of her, I'm thinking we don't have much time before she pops that.. Whatever it is out."  
  
"Buffy and I'll search the sewers. Try and find out some info in this from some of your contacts Lorne. The rest of you do what you can here." Angel said.  
  
"You got it boss." Gunn said.  
  
Buffy and Angel headed out. They searched all night with no luck. Finally, Buffy couldn't stand the pain throbbing in her stomach any longer and she and Angel headed back to the Hyperion. Wesley set a pencil sketch of Cordelia down on the desk among all his research as Buffy and Angel entered. He turned to look at them. "Any luck?"  
  
"We swept the area until daybreak, checked the sewer tunnels in case they went underground, picked up their scent half a dozen times but.." Angel said.  
  
"If Connor doesn't want to be found, he won't. Wasting your time."  
  
"We're getting good at that, huh?" Buffy asked, flopping into a chair. She picked up the sketch and stared at it. "It was all there, right in front of us, and we couldn't see it. She had Connor wrapped around her little pinky and I never even.." She sighed, tossing the picture down.  
  
"All of this did exactly what it was supposed to. Play on your emotions to cloud your judgment. Draw your attention away so this.. thing could continue to murder anyone it.. At least you two had a reason for letting it happen."  
  
"Wes.. Lilah and us weren't exactly friends.." Angel said.  
  
"You were mortal enemies. Why should you care what happened to her?"  
  
"Because you did." Buffy said softly.  
  
Wesley acknowledged her sincerity and nodded. Then he got back to business. "There's nothing here. If this thing could obliterate all references to the Beast, it's very unlikely it would leave its own bio lying about."  
  
"What about pan-dimensional texts like the one Lilah.." Angel stopped himself. Wes ignored it. "Fred is upstairs going through Cordy's things. I have Lorne reaching out to the black markets but it'll take time."  
  
"Great. Another thing we don't have."  
  
"Then let's go to the source. Whatever happened to Cordelia, it took place after her ascension to the higher planes. Maybe the Powers might be able to.."  
  
"The last couple of times I asked the Powers That Be for help, they made it pretty damned clear they weren't in the business."  
  
"But at least one of those was to save Darla's life. A mass-murdering ex- vampire dying of syphilis? A strong 'no' is hardly a shock."  
  
"You think the Powers couldn't see this thing was masquerading as Cordy?" Buffy asked bitterly. "What it was doing to us? They didn't stop it because they didn't want to get their hands dirty. What we need is somebody who does. Somebody right in the middle of all this."  
  
"Skip." Angel said.  
  
"Honey, this really isn't the time for games."  
  
"No. Skip was her demon guide. Cordelia told us after her birthday remember?"  
  
"That demon guy that turned Cordy half demon?"  
  
"Yeah! He should know something, right?"  
  
"How're we.."  
  
"The key and lock." Wes said. "I believe we still have that in the weapons cabinet."  
  
"What key and lock thing?"  
  
"You weren't here, you were.." Angel said. He didn't want to say it because he had come close to losing her again.  
  
"Dead? When was this?"  
  
"About a week or two before I found out you were alive.. Again. It sent me to Skip's dimension to save someone who was a little on the evil side."  
  
"Ok. Is this Skip guy bad?"  
  
"Not overly. But he could be considering he could be behind this."  
  
"Yeah, good. Ok, then I'm going with you."  
  
"We can't take weapons and you're injured. You are not going with me."  
  
"Stop me." Angel poked her in the stomach. Buffy yelped, but she didn't sit back down. After a second she punched Angel in the face and made him sit on the desk. "Like I said, stop me."  
Fred held out a box filled with things from Cordelia's room for Gunn's inspection while Angel dug through a box of his own. At the bottom, under some files, he found a metal seal inscribed with runes. "A bunch of candles, a couple of broken pieces of the muoping and some toiletries that smell way too pretty to be evil." Fred said. "Not much to go on. As insidious lairs go, it kept Cordy's room nice and tidy. I think it even vacuumed."  
  
"Keep working on a way to locate this thing. If we're not back in a couple of hours.." Angel said.  
  
"You're dead. We're screwed. End of the world." Gunn said.  
  
"Or you could stay here with us! Here's nice." Fred added.  
  
"I've done this before. Don't worry. A walk in the park." He tossed the key and lock down on the ground and it started to spin. Angel looked at Buffy. "You ready for this?"  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be for something like this." Buffy said. There was a flash and then they were standing in a stone room. Two demons attacked and Buffy and Angel brought them down quickly, taking their swords. Buffy looked at Angel. "A walk in the park, huh?"  
  
"I really hate the park."  
  
They descended a set of stone stairs and into a high-walled chamber lit by two flaming torches on the wall. In the center of the chamber, a demon sat with his back to them, gorging itself hungrily Buffy and Angel approached cautiously from behind and raised their swords to strike. At the least second, the demon turned around.  
  
"Oh! Angel, jeez! Don't they knock in your dimension?" It asked.  
  
"Sorry. Wasn't sure it was you." Angel said.  
  
"Who is this?"  
  
"This is Buffy. She's a Slayer."  
  
"So you're Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Wow. This is an honor."  
  
"You know me?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Who doesn't? That thing with Glory.. That was amazing. Never saw that coming in a million years. The Powers thought you were going to be defeated by her, but to end up defeating her instead and THEN sacrifice yourself to save your sister and the world.. Can I have your autograph?" Buffy stared incredulously at the demon. " Oh! Sorry. Powerful demon Skip, at your service. Hey, I got some more buffalo wings and the game's on in five if you want.."  
  
"Sorry. We're a little pressed right now. When was the last time you saw Cordelia?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"She told us you were her guide when she decided to become half-demon." Angel said.  
  
"She did, huh? Okay, look. I wanted to give you the heads up but you know how the Powers are. Always making with the big hush-hush."  
  
"What do you know?"  
  
"It's going to be really hard for you to accept but Cordelia has ascended to a higher plane."  
  
"We know. She's back."  
  
"Back?"  
  
"Or at least something that looks like her."  
  
"Whoa, wait. Nobody comes back from paradise.." Skip looked at Buffy. "Okay, you once but.."  
  
"So you haven't heard anything?"  
  
"No, not since her ascension. Oh, it was beautiful. You should have been there."  
  
"You were a part of that?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It's in the job description. As Cordelia's guide, I'm there for all the important events."  
  
"Except her welcome back party." Angel said. "So why didn't the Powers invite you to that one?"  
  
"Mysterious ways. They can really drive a guy nuts."  
  
"Or maybe if you had known something, you might have warned us. No, but the only one not keen on that slipping out is the one pulling our strings."  
  
"Not following you there, champ."  
  
"You said it yourself. You were there, guiding Cordelia to her ascension, seeing her off to a higher plane, which is exactly where this thing needed her to be to make its move. So I'm thinking either you've been played for a dupe like the rest of us.. or you've been in on this from the start. Skippy."  
  
"Angel, buddy, whatever's going on, I'm telling you true.." Skip raised his arm and a foot-long razor-sharp sheath of bone slid out of his forearm. "Not a dupe." He attacked and Angel raised the sword to defend himself but his blows glanced ineffectually off Skip's armored hide. Skip knocked Angel away and then kicked the sword out of Buffy's hand and seized her by the neck. "Not like last time, is it, monkey boy?"  
  
"Let her go." Angel said dangerously.  
  
"Hold on! I'm talking. You know, the worst part about signing on for this gig was having to take a dive when you rescued that runt Billy from his box of fire." Angel moved to attack, but Skip slammed his hand on Buffy's stomach. She screamed and grabbed her stomach, letting go of the thick arm around her neck which only got tighter. "I mean, come on. Do you really think a guy built like this would be so easy to drop? This time we'll do it for real, champion. This time.. you lose." Skip dropped Buffy to her hands and knees and attacked Angel.  
  
Buffy held her stomach, checking to see if it was bleeding. Thankfully it wasn't, but it hurt like hell. She heard Angel grunt as he was thrown against a wall and dropped next to her. Buffy reached out to help him, but Skip grabbed her waist and tossed her away. She slammed against the far wall and dropped to the dirt, unconscious.  
  
"Well, now.. this is just embarrassing." Skip said. "I finally get to meet the infamous Slayer and this is what it comes down to?"  
  
Angel struggled to his feet, his face bruised and bleeding. "Tell me.. what happened.. to Cordelia."  
  
"Or what? You'll bleed on me some more?" Angel attacked, punching and kicking but Skip easily blocked most of his blows and the ones that landed did no damage to Skip at all. Skip counterattacked with a series of crushing blows. "You know, I've always wondered how many chunks you gotta hack off a vampire before he goes all dust bunny?"  
  
"Tell me what happened.."  
  
"Yeah, heard that part." Angel gut punched Skip, then decked him, staggering the demon for a second. Then Angel leapt into the air and seized a dangling chain overhead. He swung out, kicked off the wall, then back toward Skip who merely extended his arm and clothes-lined Angel, dropping him to the ground. "What are you, Tarzan? See, this is the nefarious meat of it, pal. You die never knowing what really happened to Cordelia AND what I plan to do to the surprisingly weak Slayer over there. Gotta respect the classics."  
  
Buffy rolled over, coughing up blood. "Great." A glint caught her eye and she found a sword. Standing on shaky legs, Buffy got to her feet and checked her balance. Wincing in pain, Buffy raised the sword as Skip advanced on Angel. Buffy snuck up behind Skip and brought the sword in a downward arc, slicing off the bone-skewer on Skip's wrist. Pressing her advantage, Buffy whipped the sword back and forth, striking Skip with punishing blows, punctuated with kicks and punches. Skip doubled over, trying to shield himself from the onslaught and Buffy brought the sword down on Skip's head, slicing off one of the scythe-like horns protruding from the side of Skip's head. Skip screamed in pain and held his hand to the hole in the side of his head to stop the leaking green ooze where his horn was moments before. "Who's weak now?"  
  
Before Skip could recover, Buffy twirled the sword in her hand and brought it down to Skip's neck. Skip swung and Buffy blocked, then pounded her fist straight into Skip's face over and over with all of her strength. Skip staggered drunkenly as Buffy wound up for the killing blow from the sword.  
  
"Do you really think that's gonna.." Skip started.  
  
Buffy threw the sword down and punched Skip full in the face, knocking him down and unconscious. "Yeah, I do." She dropped the sword and wrapped an arm around her stomach. "Well, my abs are fried." Buffy helped Angel up. "Told you. Without me, you'd be a dust bunny."  
  
"Glad I didn't try to stop you." Angel said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You ok?"  
  
"I'll live. Don't I always. Are you ok?"  
  
"A little rough around the edges, but I'll be ok. Let's get this guy back to the hotel and see what we can pry outta him."  
  
"Fine by me." Buffy said, staring at the unconscious Skip. 


	64. Inside Out part 2

Chapter 64  
  
Fred walked across the lobby toward Lorne and Gunn on the couch, reading from a spell book. "Hey, here's something. Maybe I can have an embolism!" She said as a blaze erupted behind her. Everyone stared as Skip appeared on the floor with Buffy and Angel standing over him.  
  
"What happened?" Wesley asked.  
  
"We had words." Angel said.  
  
"Between the pummeling?" Lorne asked.  
  
"Whatever's happened to Cordy, he's a part of it. We need to bind him to this dimension." Angel winced in pain and sat down to catch his non- existent breath. Buffy sat beside him and checked her stomach. They looked up to find everyone staring at them in shock. "Before he wakes up would be nice."  
  
"I'll call Willow." Fred said.  
  
"Good plan. I'll do it." Buffy said.  
  
"I'm going with you. We need to check on things there." Angel said.  
  
"I was going to check on Dawn. I've never been away from her this long." Buffy shut the door to the dark office and sat behind the desk with a groan. "I'm getting to old for this."  
  
"You're 22."  
  
"Exactly. What Slayer has ever lived to that age?"  
  
"None that I know of. So, I see your point."  
  
Buffy picked up the phone and waited till someone answered. Andrew picked up. "Andrew?! Why the hell are you answering my phone?"  
  
"Because I was the one near it." Andrew answered.  
  
"Who's the one near you?"  
  
"Faith."  
  
"Lemme talk to her."  
  
"Ok."  
  
There was a loud pop and then Faith got on the line. "Hello?"  
  
"Hey Faith."  
  
"Hey B. Where the hell are you? You guys were supposed to be right behind us."  
  
"Something came up here in LA. Cordy's evil, she's pregnant with a demon spawn or something, and my son is the father. That's the gist. Is Willow there?"  
  
"Ok. Wow and yeah. Hold on."  
  
Faith yelled for Willow and a minute later, Willow's voice filled the phone. "Cordy's pregnant and evil and Connor's the daddy?"  
  
"To sum it up. I need your magickal advice Will."  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"Demon from another dimension. What do we need to bind it here?"  
  
"How big and strong is it?"  
  
"Um, twice Angel's size and pretty damn strong."  
  
"Oh, that's easy. Sand of the Red Palm is what you need. Just make a circle around it and you're done."  
  
"That easy?"  
  
"Just don't break the circle in any way and it's that easy. Are you interrogating him?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Then you might want to use a Sphere of the Infinite Agonies spell."  
  
"What's it do?"  
  
"Every second feels like a lifetime. It drives the person or demon insane."  
  
"Thanks. We'll get right on that. Ok, I need to talk to Dawn."  
  
"She's doing good Buffy. She's even started training with the potentials to get ready for the big apocalypse. I didn't get to tell you that yesterday."  
  
"I know. I'm glad she's doing good. Before you go, how're things up there?"  
  
"All on the quiet. We think something big is coming."  
  
"Isn't it always?"  
  
"Pretty much. Here's Dawn. I didn't tell her anything."  
  
"Hey Buffy." Dawn said.  
  
"Hold on Dawnie." Buffy looked at Angel. "Sand of the Red Palm. Make a circle around Skip and don't break it. To make sure he talks, use a Sphere of the Infinite Agonies spell." He nodded and went to tell Wesley. "Hey Dawn. I hear you're getting ready for the big show."  
  
"What's going on? I thought you were supposed to be here when Willow and Faith for here."  
  
"Something came up. You don't need to know right now. I want to talk to you."  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"I'll tell you later. So how long have you been training with the girls?"  
  
"Not long after you left. Hey, did you know that you're not the only Slayer to have had a kid?"  
  
"So I was told."  
  
"Isn't that weird that Principal Wood is a Slayer's kid?"  
  
"Yeah. It kinda is."  
  
"Oh, Spike says hey."  
  
"Tell Spike I said hey back."  
  
"Hold on."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Hey Buffy." Spike said.  
  
"Spike?"  
  
"In the undead flesh. Faith tells me that you've got trouble up there. Congratulations on becoming a grandmother."  
  
"Nuh uh. I already got drunk over that. Don't need to again."  
  
"You got drunk? Not that I've never seen you drunk. You're pretty interesting when you're drunk."  
  
"Stop bringing it up. I'm not overly pleased."  
  
"I wouldn't be either. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here if you need me."  
  
"I just need you to watch after Dawn."  
  
"Like I promised, I won't let anything happen to her."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Now you get back to your duties down there and we'll see you guys when you get back."  
  
"Bye." Buffy hung up and looked at Angel as he walked back in. "Everything's on the quiet, but something's coming is what Willow says."  
  
Angel nodded. "Well, the circle's done. We had some Sand of the Red Palm lying around."  
  
"Yay?" Buffy walked out to find Skip standing in the lobby in the center of a magickal circle inscribed on the floor by a band of reddish sand. The spell enveloped him in an impenetrable energy barrier and bound him both to the mortal plane and kept him confined and helpless. Angel, Buffy, and the rest of the gang surrounded Skip and watched him warily as he tested the barrier.  
  
"Sand of the Red Palm. A child's trick." He said.  
  
"Then why don't you come out and play?" Buffy asked.  
  
"In time."  
  
"You'll have a lot of that.. after we make your accommodations a little bit more permanent. Fred?" Angel said.  
  
Fred picked up a spell book and held it open for Skip to see. "Sphere of the Infinite Agonies. Every second, a lifetime. Should be able to whip one up in.. twenty minutes?"  
  
"Everything you know or she starts whippin'." Buffy said.  
  
"Hey, whoa. I'm just a merc. I go where the deal is and not getting stuck in one of those? Bargain." Skip said. Angel nodded and Fred put the book back down. "Anybody got a cig?"  
  
"Cordelia. Where is she?"  
  
"Hey, this is your dimension. You tell me."  
  
"The real Cordelia. Not this thing that's been posing as her." Angel said.  
  
"How'd I ever get spanked by such chump nuts? That thing which has turned your life into a burning rain of fire? She is the real Cordelia. Or at least she's in there somewhere. It's this whole thing."  
  
"Is it Cordy or not?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Oh, it's her. She just ain't drivin'."  
  
"Something took control of her on the higher plane?"  
  
"Drill a little deeper, Blondie. How do you think she got there in the first place?"  
  
"You're saying her ascension was all part of this thing's plan?" Wes asked.  
  
"No, Cordelia was chosen to become a higher being because she's such a pure, radiant saint. Please!"  
Connor watched Cordelia perform the ritual to bring their baby into the world. The only thing she had asked of him was to bring her a sacrifice. The girl, Anna was her name, lay bound and propped against the wall, still unconscious. He stared at her as Cordelia chanted, his face an expressionless mask. Anna's eyes suddenly snapped open and she gasped when she saw Connor kneeling over her.  
  
"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." Connor said.  
  
"Please.." Anna said.  
  
"Brought you some water."  
  
"I gotta get home. My mom's gonna be so mad."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"I won't tell anyone, I promise! Please, just let me go." Anna sobbed.  
  
Connor didn't know what to make of the sobbing. Behind him, a voice said, "Listen." He looked around at the sound of the voice, faint as if coming from a great distance. He didn't see anyone else in the empty room. "Somebody there?"  
  
"I've always been there, close to your heart. After all.." Joyce walked out of the shadows. "Isn't that where a grandmother belongs? The Powers have sent me to give you a message."  
  
"You can't be my grandmother. You're the First Evil."  
  
"No. I'm really here."  
  
"Let me go.. please!" Anna cried  
  
Joyce looked over. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
"You don't understand. We need her for our baby. To keep it safe."  
  
"By anointing it in the blood of an innocent? You really think that safety can be plucked from the arms of an evil deed?"  
  
"Good, evil.. they're just words."  
  
"Don't let this happen, Connor. Don't throw away everything that Buffy had strived to help you become."  
"Do you really think it matters?" Skip asked. "I mean, nothing I tell you is going to change what's going to happen."  
  
"Cut the doom and gloom. What's taken over Cordy?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Something beyond your comprehension. To give it voice would render your feeble brain into a quivering mass of.."  
  
"Fred? Infinite agony."  
  
Fred stood up with her spell book but Skip held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, you got me. It doesn't even have a name."  
  
"Then what do you call it?" Gunn asked.  
  
"You know, 'master' or 'hey'."  
  
"Unspeakable horror. For real this time." Lorne said.  
  
"No, it doesn't make sense." Angel said, pacing. "Cordy was made a higher being because she proved herself to the Powers by bearing their visions. This thing couldn't.."  
  
"Unless it maneuvered her to inherit the visions in the first place." Wesley said.  
  
"Uh-oh. Better step on it. The rubes are catching up." Skip said.  
  
"It wasn't just her ascension. Everything that's happened to Cordy in the past few years, all of it, was planned." Buffy said.  
  
"You really think it stops with her? Do you have any concept of how many lines have to intersect in order for a thing like this to play out? How many events have to be nudged in just the right direction? Leaving Pylea." He said to Lorne. "Your sister." To Gunn. "Opening the wrong book." To Fred. "Sleeping with the enemy." To Wesley. "Coming back from heaven." To Buffy. "Gosh, I love a story with scope."  
  
"No way. We make our own choices." Gunn said.  
  
"Yeah, sure. A cheese sandwich here, when to floss.. But the big stuff, like a supposed-to-be-dead Slayer and a vampire with a soul squeezing out a kid?"  
  
"Connor.." Buffy and Angel said.  
  
"An impossible birth to make one possible." Wesley said.  
  
"That's what the kid was designed for." Skip said.  
  
"To sleep with Mother Love?" Lorne asked.  
  
"To create a vessel." Angel said.  
  
"Look out, the monkey's thinking again." Skip said.  
  
"Being inside a human makes it vulnerable, doesn't it? That's why it had to stay hidden. Why it needed to create something stronger to pour itself into."  
  
"Wait, so the big nasty inside of Cordy is going to give birth to itself?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Circle of life. It's a beautiful thing." Skip said.  
  
"How do we stop it?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, that's the easy part, slick. All you gotta do is find Cordelia and chop her head off."  
  
"There has to be another way."  
  
"Sure. Stab her in the heart, kidney.. a couple of pokes in the lung."  
  
"A way that won't kill Cordy in the process. I'm not killing my friend."  
  
"It takes a whole lotta crammin' to get that much sweetness into a human. It's in every hair, every cell, every molecule of Cordelia's body, and it ain't letting go until it's got a brand new bag."  
  
"What happens to Cordy then?"  
  
"Drained of her life force during labor. Those contractions are a real bitch."  
  
"Tell me about it." Buffy mumbled. She looked up at Skip. "It'll kill her, won't it?"  
  
"Or she'll end up a head of cabbage."  
  
"What do you want to do?" Wesley asked Buffy and Angel.  
  
"The only thing they can do. Kill a friend they both have come to love like she's a sister and save the world." Skip said. He looked at Buffy and Angel. "Times like this: really gotta suck being you two."  
  
Buffy looked at Angel who looked just as pained as she felt. Angel sighed and looked at Skip. "How do we find her? How?"  
  
"Well, I'd go with a Bu'shundi ritual but you're going to need a sacred Hutamin paw.."  
  
"Got it." Lorne said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Cordy, the real Cordy, kept one in her desk drawer."  
  
"Probably a knock-off. It's not some trinket you throw in a desk draw.." Skip stopped when Lorne pulled up a tiny furry hand with claws.  
  
"She thought it was a back scratcher."  
  
"Get started." Angel said.  
  
"Wait! Did I say Bu-shundi? I meant Ru-shundi. It's a whole different.." No one was buying it. "Crap."  
"They hate us because we're special." Connor said, trying to make Joyce see it his way.  
  
"I don't hate you. Please.." Anna cried.  
  
"They're scared because of what you've done, not because of what you are." Joyce said.  
  
"They wanted to kill me when I was still inside of my mother!" Connor protested.  
  
"But that changed when they saw you, held you in their arms, felt the warmth of your skin, the goodness in your heart. Buffy felt it everyday because she told me in her silent prayers to keep you safe."  
  
"And it'll happen again when they hold my child. It's the only way."  
  
"You have a choice, Connor. That is something more precious than you'll ever know. Ask Buffy."  
  
"What choice? They're hunting us like animals!"  
  
"Because you're acting like one. As a vampire, your father killed without mercy or remorse because he didn't have a soul. What's your excuse?"  
  
"You think I want to do this?"  
  
"Then don't."  
  
"I have to."  
  
"Why? Because she told you? That's not the Cordelia you think you know. There are things happening, Connor, things that I can't.. It has to be your choice. You can stop this."  
  
"Her blood for our baby's.. that's fair, isn't it?"  
  
"Please.. I wanna go home!" Anna cried.  
  
Connor wheeled on her. "SHUT UP!"  
  
"This isn't you Connor." Joyce said. "Buffy would never have raised you to be this way."  
  
"You've been gone a long time. How would you know?"  
  
"Because she's my daughter! I feel her pain, her anger, her hurt, like it were my own. And because I can feel that, I know what she feels about you. She feels the good in you and no matter how much you're beaten or twisted or lied to, it's still there, in your heart. We both know it and deep down, you know it, too."  
  
Connor stared at Joyce, knowing it was all true. "What do I do?"  
  
"Let her go and then you get out of here before it's too late."  
  
Connor leaned down and reached for Anna. She pulled back, terrified. "Shh.. it's okay." He started to undo the ropes around her wrist.  
  
"You're all right now. Everything's going to be all right." Joyce said to Connor.  
  
"What are you doing?" Cordy asked from the doorway.  
  
Connor turned around to find Cordelia standing in the doorway holding a meat cleaver. He stood up, nervous. "Nothing. I.."  
  
"It's time. Take her in the other room."  
  
Connor hesitated and Joyce urged him on. "Listen to your heart."  
  
"She didn't do anything. We should let her go." Connor said to Cordy.  
  
"No, we shouldn't. We need her, Connor. Our baby.." Cordy said.  
  
"Shouldn't be anointed with innocent blood."  
  
"Anointed? Who's been filling your head with big confusing words?"  
  
"Just been thinking about it."  
  
"Or maybe.. a little birdy's been pecking at you behind my back."  
  
"She'll lie to you." Joyce said.  
  
"You know how much they love to use the magick, Connor. A spell for this, a spell for that.."  
  
"Close her out, baby."  
  
"Whatever you're hearing, whatever you think you're seeing, it's a trick."  
  
"Don't let her in."  
  
"It's Buffy and Angel."  
  
Joyce saw Connor was wavering again, going over to Cordelia's side. "No."  
  
"Trying to turn you against me with a cheap vision of.. Joyce." Cordy smiled and looked over at Joyce for the first time.  
  
Connor looked at Cordelia, amazed. "You can see her?"  
  
"I see the lies."  
  
"Connor, listen to me." Joyce said, trying to stop Connor from joining Cordelia.  
  
"It's not her."  
  
"You have to let her go."  
  
"It's your mother and father. This is how much they hate you."  
  
"I love you. Buffy and Angel love you. Please.."  
  
"Torturing you with this sad imitation of your dead grandmother!"  
  
"Don't let her do this."  
  
"Are you going to let them do this to us? Are you going to let them kill our baby?"  
  
"Connor, listen to me."  
  
Connor was near tears, torn between the two sides. He finally shook his head, gave up, and rounded on Joyce. "You're not my grandmother!" He bent down and yanked Anna up by the ropes around her hands and dragged her out into the next room. Cordelia followed with the meat cleaver, a satisfied smile on her face. He dropped Anna next to Cordelia's magick circle. As Cordelia raised the cleaver to strike, the girl looked up at Connor but it was not the girl any more, it was Joyce. She looked at Connor, her eyes pleading.  
  
"Please.. don't do this, Connor. Don't.." Cordelia brought the cleaver down and buried it in Anna's neck, killing her instantly. A bright spray of blood shot up and hit Connor in the face. Horrified, he looked over at Cordelia, who was also covered in blood. She merely smiled at him.  
  
"There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" She asked.  
  
Connor stared down at the body. From his point of view, it was still Joyce; a pool of blood gathered beneath his grandmother's body as her eyes stared sightlessly up at him, accusing. Connor felt horrible because this was the mother that his mother had lost.  
  
Cordelia lied on a pile of rags in the center of the ritual circle, her labor pains causing her to writhe and gasp. "Connor.. we have to do this.. while it's fresh."  
  
Connor looked back down and now it was just Anna whose dead eyes stared back at him. He hesitated a moment, then leaned down and placed his palm in the pool of blood. "Vanu'esh katahn darh'im vajra'ha'esh. Vanu'esh katahn darh'im vajra'ha'esh. Do it, Connor. Do it now. Do it now." Cordy said.  
  
He walked over to Cordelia and pressed his hand against her straining belly, leaving a bloody handprint on her skin. The blood immediately sunk into her, absorbed by her body, and disappeared. Cordelia shrieked in pain and the entire building shook as an earthquake rocked the city. Cordelia screamed in agony again and Connor kneeled down beside her, frightened. "Cordy! Something's wrong. We have to stop it."  
  
Cordelia laughed hysterically through her pain. "No! It's coming. It's coming, the beginning of a new world."  
  
"Or not." Buffy said. Connor whirled around to find Buffy and Angel standing behind him, broadswords in hand. He stood and faced off with them. Buffy didn't want to hurt him. "She lied to you, Connor."  
  
"Don't listen." Cordy panted.  
  
"To all of us. That's not Cordelia."  
  
"Leave us alone!" Connor yelled. He charged and tackled Buffy to the ground.  
  
"Kill them! Kill them both, Connor!" Cordy said.  
  
Angel ripped Connor off of Buffy and threw him headfirst into a supply shelf. Connor kicked Angel backward into the wall and Angel counterattacked with a series of blows. "You think we want to do this? We don't have a choice!" He threw Connor into the wall, then turned and grabs his sword off the floor. He went over to where Buffy was standing over Cordelia, sword raised. Cordy glared balefully up at them, powerless to stop either of them. Connor grabbed Angel from behind, not able to grab both of them, and pulled him away from Cordy.  
  
Buffy looked down . "I'm so sorry."  
  
As Connor and Angel struggled to their feet and Connor ran across the room to stop her, Buffy brought the sword down in an arc toward Cordelia's neck. But before the blade found its mark, Cordelia's belly suddenly exploded in a brilliant white light that knocked Buffy, Angel, and Connor off their feet. The light expanded and filled the room. Within the brilliance, a glowing tentacled creature writhed and squirmed before coalescing into the form of a fully-grown dark-skinned adult woman. Cordelia's eyes slipped shut and she let out a long agonized breath. Then her head slumped to the side and she laid still. Angel stared at the woman in shock, then grabbed his sword and charged her. Buffy fell to her knees and Angel thought it was a diversionary tactic. Before he could strike, he suddenly came to a halt and stared at the woman in awe and wonder. He lowered the sword and dropped to his knees before her next to Buffy.  
  
"Oh my God." Angel said.  
  
"You're beautiful." Buffy said.  
  
The woman looked at them and smiled. "Buffy. Angel." 


	65. Shiny Happy People

A/N She or Her means Jasmine. The characters don't have a name for her until later. Just wanted to let ya know.  
  
Chapter 65  
  
The woman smiled beatifically down at Buffy, Connor, and Angel, then walked between them and picked up Cordelia's cloak, slipping into it and covering her nakedness. She looked around. "It's all so.."  
  
"Unworthy." Angel said.  
  
"Wonderful." She looked down at Cordelia's comatose body and kneeled beside her. "Cordelia.. thank you. For protecting me and nourishing me. Your spirit has been my shelter. But you can rest peacefully now. I'm here."  
  
"That's all she wanted. To give you life." Connor said.  
  
"And I can feel all of it. The cold floor, the air. This skin. Everything is perfect."  
  
"No, it's not. We came here to kill you." Buffy said sadly.  
  
"We should be punished." Angel said, holding his sword out to her.  
  
"I can feel your suffering. But now.." She raised the sword. "That suffering is going to end."  
  
Buffy and Angel both closed their eyes and waited for the killing blows. After a moment, when it didn't come, they opened them to find the woman had disappeared. They looked at each other perplexed and then got to their feet, looking around.  
  
"Where'd she go?" Connor asked.  
  
"I don't know." Buffy said.  
  
"We have to find her." Angel said.  
  
"Duh. Maybe she went outside."  
  
They all went out to the front of the building. There was no one there. With dejected sighs, they all walked back in. Angel picked up Cordelia and together they all headed back to the Hyperion. Connor went ahead into the hotel while Buffy helped Cordy out of the car. When they walked in and set Cordy down silently, no one noticed them. They were all too busy standing off with Connor.  
  
"But you're always after me to clean up after myself." Connor said. "I was just going to put it away."  
  
Fred hesitated and looked at Connor's smiling face, confused. "Are you still evilish? Cause I'm confused."  
  
"Guys, it's okay. He's with us." Angel said.  
  
They looked behind them to find Buffy and Angel standing next to where Cordelia lied sleeping on the sofa. Fred dropped the dagger and ran over to her. "Oh, my god! Cordelia. She's not.."  
  
"No, she's not dead. She's just resting. She's in a peaceful place."  
  
Gunn and Wesley entered dressed in stained coveralls. Wesley checked Cordelia's vital signs. Fred looked at Angel. "No, I meant.. she's not pregnant."  
  
"Oh, no, not anymore." Buffy said.  
  
"Then you were too late? The thing was born?" Wes asked.  
  
"I'm guessing it wasn't a chubby little cherub, huh?" Lorne asked.  
  
Angel looked down at Buffy with a serene smile. "Not exactly."  
  
"But you killed it? It's dead, right?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Well, we.. we tried." Buffy said. "We were going to. We just.." She and Angel sat on the stairs and laid their heads on each other miserably.  
  
Connor walked over to them. "You guys've got to stop torturing yourselves. They were like this all the way back in the car."  
  
"It escaped then?" Wes asked.  
  
"Disappeared." Angel said.  
  
"Didn't even say goodbye." Buffy added.  
  
"Is that like baby evil?" Fred asked.  
  
"I imagine we're not talking about a baby." Wes said.  
  
"No." Connor answered.  
  
"Okay, so what are we dealing with?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Eight legs? Three heads? Horns?" Fred asked.  
  
"Hey!" Lorne said offended.  
  
"No offense."  
  
"Two legs, one head, no horns." Connor said proudly.  
  
"Let me guess.. green?" Lorne asked.  
  
"No." Angel said. "Kind of.. mocha."  
  
"We need to find her." Buffy said.  
  
"Agreed." Wes said. He and Gunn headed over to the weapons cabinet.  
  
"Hope this thing's easier to kill than the Beast." Gunn said.  
  
"Kill?" Connor asked. "No. No killing."  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"Since we've all been saved." Angel said smiling.  
  
"Oh, well, that's crazy talk." Fred said.  
  
"They don't understand." Angel said, looking at Buffy and Connor.  
  
"No." Connor said.  
  
"We don't want to kill her. We just want to find her.. so we can worship her. That's all." Buffy said.  
  
Angel took the weapons from Gunn and Wes and put them back in the cabinet. The others stared at Buffy, Angel, and Connor warily. Connor smiled back. "She's amazing. You'll go nuts."  
  
"Yeah, that'll definitely help us relate better." Gunn said.  
  
"When you meet her, you'll understand." Angel said.  
  
"Buffy, Angel, whatever you're feeling right now, it's some form of enchantment." Wes said.  
  
"Yeah." Buffy and Angel said.  
  
"It's a spell. Think. Even before its birth, this thing controlled Cordelia, caused her to do unspeakable things. It's evil. Remember the rain of fire? Permanent midnight, all the horrors done in its name.."  
  
"Must be rectified." The woman said behind them. She walked in through the front door and smiled at the group. Buffy, Angel, and Connor instantly dropped to their knees before Her.  
  
Lorne stared in wonder. "My God.."  
  
"People keep saying that."  
  
"I'm just going to.. do this." Fred said, dropping to her knees.  
  
"For so long you've all been drowning in the fighting and the pain." Gunn kneeled down as She walked down the stairs. "I'd like to help. If you'll have me."  
  
Wesley eagerly kneeled at Her feet. "Tell us what to do."  
  
"Please, get up. This is all too flattering to me." She glided over to stand in front of Cordelia. "May we take my mother upstairs and make her more comfortable?"  
Gunn lit candles while the others tended to Cordelia, who lay sleeping in her bed. The woman watched, satisfied. Lorne looked at Cordy and sighed. "Eternal bliss. It suits her."  
  
"Cordelia must be so happy to be the one who brought you here. What an honor." Fred said.  
  
"I'm the one who's honored. By Cordelia.. and by all of you. I can't tell you how good it is to be back." She sat on the edge of Cordelia's bed and everyone gathered around, sitting in various chairs and on the floor in front of her.  
  
"Back? Then you've been here before?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Yes. In the beginning, before the time of man, great beings walked the earth. Untold power emanated from all quarters: the seeds of what would come to be known as good and evil. But the shadows stretched and became darkness and the malevolent among us grew stronger. The earth became a demon realm. Those of us who had the will to resist left this place but we remained ever watchful."  
  
"You're a Power That.. Was?" Gunn asked.  
  
"But then something new emerged from deep inside the earth.. neither demon nor god."  
  
"Man." Wes said.  
  
"And it seemed, for a time, that through this new race, a balance might be restored."  
  
"I guess we really let you down." Fred said.  
  
"But you didn't. It was we who failed you. We became little more than observers. I could no longer bear to just watch. All the suffering.. I had to find a way back. But first, I needed a miracle." She laid her hand on Connor's cheek. "And so I arranged one. Through you, Angel and you Buffy. That was where my parentage began. Two warriors.. Two souls corrupted by darkness. A vampire with a soul falling in love with a Vampire Slayer, a miracle already. I didn't plan that."  
  
"But how?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Through Lorne."  
  
"Huh?" Lorne asked.  
  
"It was you who convinced Angel to go see his once lost love. You encouraged them both. When they fell into each others arms, I bound Angel's soul so they could love freely and then Connor was conceived."  
  
"Buffy was still unhappy." Angel said. "She didn't want a life, not even with me. I failed her."  
  
"No, you rekindled that spark of life in her and there it is." She pointed at Connor. "All these events unfolded that I might re-enter this physical plane. I know there's been chaos."  
  
"All the events we've witnessed these past months, all the madness.. it was birth pains." Wes said.  
  
"But the storm has passed."  
  
"And here comes the sun." Lorne said.  
  
"And Cordelia? Will she wake up?" Buffy asked.  
  
"If we take hold of the world, strip away the thorns, win the battle, then yes, I think she will." She said.  
  
"How do we do that?" Fred asked.  
  
"One evil at a time. Much damage has been done in my name. There are demons, forces of hate, all over this city."  
  
"We're going to destroy them."  
  
"We're going to change the world."  
  
"Finally." Angel said, smiling and grasping Buffy's hand.  
  
"I know the perfect place to start. Come. Follow me and grab your weapons."  
  
They all followed Her out to lobby where they gathered weapons. Once they were done there, She led them out into the night. Letting the others walk ahead of them, She pulled Buffy back. "Walk with me."  
  
"Ok. I'd be more than happy to." Buffy said, holding her sword at the ready.  
  
"You have fought long and hard. You have suffered so many losses in your life and yet you still stand. But now it will soon be over. The world will be at peace and you can finally rest."  
  
"I haven't been this sure of anything since.."  
  
"Since your time in paradise."  
  
"I knew there was a bigger reason I was brought back. I always believed."  
  
"And now you can share your joy with them all."  
  
"Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Why certainly."  
  
"Will I ever get to be normal again? Will there ever be a time when Angel is human and I'm not the Slayer and we don't have to worry about demons or vampires or Hellmouths? Never mind. It was a stupid question. Of course I'll always be a Slayer and Angel a vampire. That's just the way it was meant to be."  
  
"Don't be so hard on yourself Buffy. Be glad that you are special."  
  
"I just.." Buffy lowered her voice so only She could hear it. "I want to start a family again with Angel. I know I have a great little family now, but.. I kinda want another baby since Connor was, you know, taken from me."  
  
"I promise you. One day after everything is complete and whole, I will give you and Angel another chance to raise a child made out of the love you two share."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"You deserve it. Angel was correct when he said you deserve much more than what you have allowed yourself to have. Be happy grandmother for it is the beginning of a new era."  
  
Buffy giggled. "Hey Angel, you hear that? She called me grandmother!"  
  
Angel turned and slowed so Buffy could catch up. "Everyone should be so lucky." They all walked into the bowling alley that had been taken over by vampires. One was standing in front of a large group. He said, "I'm telling you, something big is coming and when it gets here, we're going to be in prime position for.."  
  
"An ass whooping?" Buffy asked.  
  
The vampires turned around to find Buffy, Angel, and the rest of the crew, along with Her, standing in the door. They charged the vampires, blades and weapons swinging and finding their marks. She circled the fight, keeping her distance from the fighting, guarded by Fred who had a crossbow ready to fire. Buffy lost track as she back-flipped without any hands on the ground away from the vampire's reaching arms. Suddenly one of the vampires broke free from Angel and attacked Her before Fred could raise the crossbow. The vampire sank its claws into Her arm before Angel was able to yank him off of her. Buffy hurled a vampire into the bowling alley's cement wall while the vampire that attacked Her ran back behind the lanes and into the nest of shadows among the pin-setting machinery.  
  
Angel saw him go and gave chase. "Hey! You hurt her, you scum." The vampire ran across the back of the bowling alley and out the emergency fire door.  
  
Buffy and Angel chased the vampire out into the night and through an outdoor café next door. The vampire looked behind him, terrified and ran right into one of the patrons, and they both tumbled to the ground. Angel leapt on the vampire and yanked the creature to its feet just as Connor rounded the corner and tossed Angel a stake.  
  
"Dad!" Connor yelled.  
  
Angel caught it and slammed it through the vampire's chest. The creature disintegrated to the shocked and stunned amazement of the café's customers. Angel looked around at the frightened people surrounding him as the rest of the crew arrived with Her.  
  
"It's all right. It's over. You're safe now." Angel said.  
  
"What.." One woman started, but then she saw Her. "Oh.." She dropped to her knees in awe and when everyone else in the café saw Her, they did the same.  
  
"Everyone, please, stand up. If you wish to honor me, honor each other. We are all one." She said.  
  
"You're hurt." A man said.  
  
"I'll be all right. Everything will be all right."  
  
"All my life.. so empty. That's over now, isn't it?" A woman asked.  
  
"Yes, Margaret. It's over. I know you. I know you all. I've come here for you, to bring you the gift of peace. You will be free from the pains you've suffered. The world will change forever and you will know the power of my love. The chaos will fade and harmony will reign."  
  
A man picked up a knife from one of the café tables and raised it. "Monster.. it has to die!" He charged Her with the knife but Angel's face went feral and he intercepted him. He threw the man to the ground and pounded him, punching him over and over. Buffy ran over and tried to pry her husband off, but Angel would have none of it.  
  
Finally, She walked over and put her hand on Angel's shoulder. "Angel, that's enough." The man lay helplessly on his back staring at Her. "Don't you see it?" She stepped forward and looked down at him. She extended her hand toward his bloody face. "No, don't you touch me!"  
  
She caressed his cheek. "Poor thing. Wesley?"  
  
"I'll call an ambulance." Wesley said, running off.  
  
She turned to the crowd. "All of you.. so loving, so strong. How can I ask you to understand that a man like this, so full of fear, anger, so alone.. he will always be alone. But we have found each other."  
Later, Buffy and Angel sat out in the garden holding each other. They were happy and in love. Angel stroked her face and kissed her lightly on the nose. Buffy had told him the news of what She had said to Buffy earlier. They were going to have another baby one day and this one would not be taken from them.  
  
"Maybe it'll be a girl this time and we can name her something pretty. Like Angel." Buffy said.  
  
"Or we'll have another boy and we can name him Angel." Angel said.  
  
Buffy laughed. "It only works on you." She sighed and laid her head on Angel's shoulder. "It just gives me a reason to keep going knowing that it'll all be ok. That one day we can raise a baby in a world without hatred."  
  
"I hated that man tonight."  
  
"Awe, sweetie. That's in the past. She doesn't hate you for it. You were doing what you thought was right to protect her and me."  
  
"Everything I do is for you."  
  
"I know."  
  
She walked out into the garden. "That fragrance.. it's lovely. What is it?"  
  
"Must be the jasmine." Angel said.  
  
"Mmm.. night blooming. So beautiful. Like you two."  
  
"I shamed you."  
  
"No."  
  
"I did. I almost killed that man. I think I would have if.."  
  
"Angel, you were only trying to protect Buffy and I. There can be no shame in that."  
  
"See, I told you." Buffy said.  
  
"I don't want to fail either of you again." Angel said.  
  
"Then don't." She said.  
  
"It's not that simple."  
  
"Why isn't it?" She and Buffy asked.  
  
"Because of what I'm feeling."  
  
"You must let go of your anger toward that poor soul." She said.  
  
"No, not anger. Happiness. I'm so happy that you're here and I'm with the woman I love so much."  
  
"And that's a problem?"  
  
"He thinks if he gets too happy, if he allows himself to feel what we're all feeling, Angelus might.." Buffy said. "We don't know if the Shaman took out the loophole when he took Angel's soul and then Willow put it back in. And Angelus kinda equals bad. Especially since he got a taste of evil Buffy."  
  
"I know. But soon, none of that will matter. Evil will be banished by the deeds we will do. Even the evil that's inside of you, Angel. That too will be gone and all that will be left is the beauty."  
  
"Eradicate all evil?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Is that even possible? We've been fighting for so long." Buffy asked.  
  
"I know. I've seen it all. It's why I've come back. You are my generals. I have faith in you."  
  
"You have faith.. in us?"  
  
"I have faith in all my warriors." Buffy and Angel followed Her gaze to the balcony where Gunn, Wesley, Connor, and Fred stood watching. "Each and every one of you. You are all up to the task. You're not alone anymore. I will be with you everywhere you go. I'll be at your side, guiding your hands, giving you strength. With my help, there will be no doubt.. No worry.. no fear.. for you will know you cannot be beaten." She turned back to Buffy and Angel. "And be perfectly happy together. His soul is bound." Huge smiles spread across Buffy and Angel's faces. They were just given permission to be together without fear of Angelus. Angel brought Buffy to him and kissed her passionately in front of them all. "Let this be the beginning my warriors."  
  
Everyone went back inside except Buffy and Angel who held hands and kissed fervently. After a little while, Fred came out. "I don't mean to intrude on the happy fest, but could I ask you a favor Buffy?"  
  
"Sure." Buffy said with a smile, still gripping Angel's hand.  
  
"Well, I just can't get this dagong stain out of Her shirt. I thought maybe if we put a little womanly super-strength behind it, the thing would come out. Will you help?"  
  
"Of course I will." Buffy looked at Angel. "I'll be back. Keep that beautiful smile and dirty thoughts right where they are." 


	66. Shiny Happy People part 2

Chapter 66  
  
Two nights later, everyone but Fred, Buffy, and Lorne all stood gathered in the lobby listening to the newscaster on TV. The whole gang had been fighting fiercely against the forces of darkness. Not to mention Buffy and Fred's quest to get the stain out of Jasmine's shirt. "After several weeks of skyrocketing homicide rates, finally this week, a dramatic decrease in Southland murders. The Sheriff's Department spokesman attributes the drop to their new 'tough on crime' policy instituted last month.."  
  
Angel clicked off the TV. "A little credit for the 'divinity behind the scenes' policy wouldn't suck."  
  
"It's not important who gets the credit. What matters is that we're winning." Jasmine said. They had decided to call her Jasmine because she had so admired the flowers outside.  
  
"If we keep going at this rate.." Wesley said.  
  
"L.A.'s going to be one big fat no-demon zone. Hello, garden city." Gunn said.  
  
"You never doubted us. Not for a second." Angel said to Jasmine.  
  
"There's no room for doubt, Angel. Only love."  
  
Lorne came down the stairs and Connor said, "Hey, we made the news. Dramatic decrease in Southland murders this week."  
  
"Well, hey! So much for that nagging apocalypse." Lorne said. He looked at Jasmine. "But hey, speaking of dramatic, I've got a smidge of a surprise for you. Upstairs."  
  
"Surprises. They're one of my favorite things about being human." Jasmine said.  
  
Lorne led Jasmine up the stairs and everyone sighed. Angel was the first to speak. "Isn't she.."  
  
"Yeah." Connor said.  
  
"A miracle." Gunn added.  
  
Fred and Buffy came in carrying Jasmine's shirt. Fred held it up. "Well, I tried. What do you think?"  
  
"It looks brand new." Wesley said.  
  
Buffy started to cry. "It is. We bought a new one."  
  
Fred sat down on the stairs crying with her. They both sobbed and Angel came over to hug Buffy as Wes said, "Even better."  
  
"We know." Fred said.  
  
"Well, what's the matter? She'll love it." Angel said soothingly to Buffy.  
  
"She's not here." Buffy said.  
  
"She's just upstairs." Gunn said.  
  
"Yes, but when she's not around.. I hurt." Fred said.  
  
"We hurt." Buffy corrected.  
  
"Come on." Angel helped both women off the stairs and led them up to Jasmine's room. "She's in there. We'll let you two have some privacy."  
  
Fred and Buffy nodded gratefully and walked in. Neither of them looked at Jasmine as they walked in. Fred was the one that talked. "Hi. We know it's not the exact same shirt but it's pretty close. Both of us scrubbed the other one till our fingers bled but we couldn't get out the.." Fred looked up. "Blood."  
  
Buffy looked at Fred confused and then she looked at Jasmine. Instead of seeing the beautiful woman though, she saw a rotting corpse with maggots everywhere. They both stared in revulsion at Jasmine as maggots and worms squirmed in the rotting flesh of her face and twisted in her empty eye sockets. When she spoke, the vermin dropped out of her mouth onto the floor. No one else seemed to notice anything was wrong. Buffy guessed to them, Jasmine was still the beautiful and radiant woman she had always been. Recovering quickly, Buffy covered her eyes and pretended to cry. "We're sorry." Fred caught on and started to cry too.  
  
"Fred? Buffy? Is something wrong?" Jasmine asked.  
  
"I'll get them some water." Connor said.  
  
"No, don't! I mean, we'll be fine." Buffy said.  
  
Gunn, Lorne and Wesley came in response to all the commotion. Gunn smiled, "Sounds like someone's.."  
  
"What's all the booin' and hooin', sweet pea?" Lorne asked Buffy.  
  
"There's no reason to cry. She's right there." Wesley said.  
  
Fred had left the room, but Buffy stuck it out and pretend nothing was wrong. She forced herself to look at Jasmine. "I.. I know.. I just.. started thinking about what it would be like if you weren't here and.. I guess I kind of lost it and that made Fred lose it. You know how she is."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere, Buffy. You can trust in that." Jasmine said.  
  
Buffy started edging toward the door. "I think.. I think I just need some time alone to.. You know, count my blessings cause there's so many and it's good to.. take stock." She burst into tears again and walked out, handing off the shirt to Wesley as she went. Angel was out there, but Buffy breezed past him in search for Fred. She found her in Cordy's room. She was sitting on the edge of the bed and staring.  
  
Buffy walked over and sat on the other side. "Cordelia? It's me and Fred. We're here. Remember before the big brain suck thing, when Lorne read you and it was all bad news and headachy, puke-y-ness? Well, what if that's all true?"  
  
"Only worse, cause we don't even know to fight back, not even Buffy or Angel. Cordelia, I wish you could.." Fred was cut off by Angel who had followed Buffy.  
  
"I know what you two are thinking." He said.  
  
"You do?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Sometimes when I look in her eyes, I've seen it, too. It's overwhelming. The lies, the deceit.. It just melts away. Nothing left but the beauty."  
  
"Yeah. It's.. incredible."  
  
Angel looked at Cordy. "I can't believe we almost.. Seems like a lifetime ago."  
  
"It's all so different from what we expected." Fred said.  
  
"Big hideous evil trying to end the world? Nice to be wrong."  
  
"Yeah, and now that she's here, everything just.."  
  
"Seems so easy." Buffy finished.  
  
"I know. Feels like a dream." Angel said, moving over to Buffy and kissing her forehead.  
  
"Hey sweetheart? Have you noticed how we all just kind of.. do what she says? Don't ask questions?"  
  
"Isn't it a relief? The constant questioning.. it's finally over."  
  
Buffy sighed, completely crestfallen. She was never going to get through to Angel. Fred had seen it too, but neither of them knew why. Thinking quickly, Buffy looked at Fred. "Um, I have an idea. Let's take a drive and see all the good we've done in the past couple of days."  
  
"I'd love to." Angel said.  
  
"Not you. Just me and Fred. We've gotten to know each other a lot better since working on the shirt. It's been lots of fun. I think I have a craving for frozen yogurt and, let's face it sweetheart, you don't like to eat yogurt. You said it tastes icky."  
  
"Ok." Angel kissed Buffy tenderly and handed her the keys to his convertible. "You two have fun."  
  
"Oh, we will." Buffy took Fred's hand and they walked out. Once they were on the road, Fred turned to look at Buffy. "You saw it too!"  
  
"Yeah. I'm a little depressed right now."  
  
"Me too. What're we going to do?"  
  
"I don't know!" Buffy slammed her hand on the dashboard. "This is really frustrating. Why are we the only ones who can see it?"  
  
"I don't know." Fred looked out at the passing street lights. "Oh! We're not the only ones! That guy at the café a couple of nights ago saw it."  
  
"He tried to attack her."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Where're they keeping him at? I know he's at a hospital."  
  
"I think the papers said Cedar Sinai."  
  
"Ok." Without even blinking, Buffy pulled a tight U-turn and cut about four cars off. Their horns blared, but Buffy ignored them. She sped to Cedar Sinai and she and Fred walked up to the ER front desk. "Hi. Yes, we're looking for a patient. A man. He was brought in Thursday, his name's Stover."  
  
"Are you family members?" The nurse asked.  
  
"Are we.. yes! We have a family. We're members. He's our brother.. father.. our father's brother."  
  
"I have a Stoler.."  
  
"Half-brother.. uncle.. half-uncle. Stoler! That's it. Please. We need to know if he's all right."  
  
"Dr. Koelsch treated him."  
  
"Is he still here?"  
  
"He was transferred to.. oh."  
  
"What?" Buffy and Fred asked.  
  
"He's been transferred to the psychiatric unit."  
  
"Thank you." Buffy said. Fred and Buffy walked up to the psych floor and found the door to the ward locked with an electronic keypad. As Fred examined it closely, trying to find a way past it, the door opened from the other side. Buffy and Fred ducked out of sight, as a nurse exited the ward, then Buffy quickly caught the door before it closed and she and Fred ducked inside. They found Stoler's room and entered. The only light came from an x-ray viewer hanging on the wall. Stoler lied in bed, facing away from them, his arms and legs in restraints.  
  
"John? John Stoler?" Fred asked.  
  
"Go away." John said.  
  
"John, we kind of have to ask you.. do you have a history of mental.. what I mean to ask is.. have you been in this particular ward before?"  
  
"You mean am I crazy?"  
  
"Were you before Thursday?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
"We don't think you're crazy. We think we know what happened. We think we know what you saw because we saw it, too." Fred said. "The woman you attacked.."  
  
"Not a woman."  
  
"Her face.. it's horrible, isn't it? Decay, blood.."  
  
"Things living there.." Buffy added.  
  
"You did see it." John said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Did it touch either of you?"  
  
"What?"  
  
He turned toward them, revealing his face. The entire left side where Jasmine had caressed him was twisted and deformed, as if the skin had melted like candle wax. His eye was gone, a useless socket. "Don't let it touch you."  
  
"She did that to you?"  
  
"Untie me, please. I have to get out of here. I have to finish it."  
  
"Finish what?"  
  
"She has to die. We have to kill it."  
  
"We? No. I mean, maybe but.. no."  
  
"You said you saw it."  
  
"We did!"  
  
"Then you've been called, too."  
  
"Called?"  
  
"Called to the mission."  
  
"Called.. no. I've already been called for something else. Not this."  
  
"It's our duty. Others won't see."  
  
"You're wrong. If what we saw is true, there are people who will understand, who will help."  
  
"You've been called."  
  
"Established that already. But not for this." Buffy's cell phone trilled.  
  
"Okay, that's just eerie." Fred said.  
  
"It's Angel. They're probably wondering where we are."  
  
"You have to do it." John said.  
  
"We have to go. Thank you for your time. We're sorry to have disturbed you." Fred said.  
  
"Don't trust her. Don't trust anyone!"  
  
Buffy and Fred ran out of the hospital ward and out into the street. Buffy's cell trilled again. She picked it up as she started the car and pulled into the street. "Hey sweetheart." "Where were you? This is the second time I've called."  
  
"Oh, you know me. I'm so forgetful sometimes. Fred and I were enjoying that yogurt and weren't paying attention to anything. I left the phone in the car. We're on our way home though."  
  
"Ok. Maybe we can get away for a little while and have some alone time."  
  
"That would be wonderful. Is Jasmine there with you?"  
  
"Yeah. Do you want to talk to Her? She's really worried about you and Fred."  
  
"No. No, we're ok. I was just checking. Don't want to disturb Her with our petty hormones. I guess it's about that time of the month for both of us. We'll see you when we get there, ok?"  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you too. Bye." Buffy hung up her cell and tossed it to Fred in the passenger's seat.  
  
"What'd he want?" Fred asked.  
  
"He's concerned husband guy. Never was like that before. He knows I can take care of myself."  
  
"It's Jasmine's.. whatever."  
  
"Glamour. She's making everyone see something beautiful where there's just ugly. Willow can do it too. Only this is worse. More like mass hysteria."  
  
"I don't want to see it again."  
  
"I don't either, but we've gotta go back. We've got to try and convince someone, anyone of what Jasmine is." Buffy sighed and took a hard left. "This sucks. One minute I was all 'yay' and then now it's all back to doom and gloom and misery."  
  
"Tell me about it."  
  
"There goes another light at the end of the really long tunnel." Buffy braked hard and parked in the parking garage. They got out and walked in through the garden. Two girls were on their way in giggling. "What is this?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
They entered to find the lobby crowded with dozens of people, all milling about and talking amongst themselves excitedly. Lorne made his way among them, falling back into his role as host. "We are just excited head-over- teakettle about this entire event. I just can't even believe.." He spotted them. "Hey, hey, hey, pumpkins! Where you two been?"  
  
"Out." Buffy said. "What happened?"  
  
"She went out for a walk. It was like A Hard Day's Night. Everybody followed her back. Isn't it fabulous? Oh, hey, hey!" He called. Lorne looked back at them. "Excuse me, darlings."  
  
Lorne headed off and Buffy spotted Wes through the crowd. She took Fred's hand and they walked over. Wesley smiled. "Can you believe this?" He looked at their solemn faces. "What is it?"  
  
"I.. we need to talk to you." Fred said. She pulled him to the side. "If we told you something, you know, that maybe you didn't want to know even, you'd trust us, right?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"We.. went to see that man. From the restaurant. The one who.."  
  
"The attacker? Why?"  
  
"That's what we wanted to know. Why he would do that. Wesley, he saw something. We all saw something. We needed to know if it was the same something."  
  
"And?"  
  
"It was. Wesley, I know you're going to find this hard to accept but.."  
  
"Fred and I saw Jasmine's face rotting away and maggots were crawling everywhere. It was really disturbing and if we could just go back to not seeing it that way, then that would be perfectly fine by us." Buffy said in a rush.  
  
"Rotting flesh? Really?" Wes asked.  
  
"You don't believe us." Fred said.  
  
"If you two say you saw it, I believe you."  
  
"He told us not to tell anyone but we knew if we came to you.."  
  
"You did the right thing."  
  
The lobby suddenly filled with applause as Jasmine entered flanked by Angel and Connor. They strode across the upper balcony, then stopped and looked down on the crowd below. Angel smiled when he saw Buffy, but she pretended not to see him as she and Fred looked back at Wesley, anxious. "You'll help us?"  
  
"Of course I'll help you. Wait here."  
  
He moved off, heading for the stairs. The two women watched as he met Gunn halfway and whispered something to him. They both turned and stared coldly at Buffy and Fred, then Wesley continued on up toward Angel and Connor while Gunn circled the perimeter of the crowd toward Lorne.  
  
"I don't think they wanna help." Buffy said. "Come on." She and Fred backed slowly toward the weapons cabinet as Wesley whispered to Angel and Jasmine and Gunn did the same for Lorne. Lorne turned around, his eyes searching Buffy and Fred out among the crowd, hatred on his face. Buffy opened the cabinet doors and slipped a dagger into her pocket then quickly loaded a crossbow and handed it to Fred. Fred spun around, crossbow raised and aimed directly at Jasmine.  
  
"I'm sorry." She said, finger tightening on the trigger.  
  
As the crossbow bolt shot across the lobby, Angel leapt over the railing and took it in the shoulder. He crashed to the lobby floor, followed by Connor who helped him up. Lorne stalked over to Buffy and Fred, furious. "Fred! Are you two crazy? I mean.." Buffy whipped out the dagger, flipped Lorne around, and held the knife to his throat, staring at Angel, Wesley and Connor who stopped in their tracks. "Buffy!"  
  
"Don't come near us!" Buffy said.  
  
"Put down the knife, Buffy." Angel said.  
  
"I'll kill him."  
  
"You don't know what you're doing." Gunn said.  
  
"I think I know what I'm doing Gunn. I've been killing demons professionally for eight years."  
  
"Easy, kiddo, huh?" Lorne said.  
  
"There's nowhere you can go. My love will follow you everywhere." Jasmine said.  
  
Buffy pushed Lorne down the steps and into Angel, grabbed Fred's hand, and then bolted out the front door. They expected everyone to come after them, but to their surprise, no one did. Fred leaned against the GTX and sighed.  
  
"Get in." Buffy said.  
  
"We're stealing Angel's car?" Fred asked.  
  
"No. We're taking my car. This is as much mine as it is Angel's. We're married, remember?"  
  
Fred got in and Buffy geared up the engine. They drove through the dark. Buffy was near tears because she felt so alone. Sure, she had Fred, but her husband, the love of her entire life, was under Jasmine's spell and she didn't know how to get him out of it. Buffy sighed and pulled over to the side of the road and stared out the window before breaking down in tears. Fred scooted over and hugged her tightly.  
  
"It's hopeless." Buffy said.  
  
"It's not completely hopeless. We'll just have to sit and think this out." Fred said,, trying to ease Buffy's nerve.  
  
"I didn't mean that. I meant.. This! All of it! One minute I was incredibly happy and actually planning on another baby, but then.. And now all I know is hopelessness because that's all gone."  
  
"Shh." Fred looked around at the darkened sky. Buffy was right, it did feel hopeless. 


	67. Shiny Happy People part 3, The Magic Bul...

Chapter 67  
  
The crowd was gone and just Angel, Gunn, Wes, Lorne, and Jasmine remained. Angel sat on the settee with his head in his hands. He was completely heartbroken over Buffy going evil again.  
  
"I can't believe Fred and Buffy evil." Wes said. "Ok, well.. Buffy I can since.."  
  
"Should have seen it coming. It was just too tempting for her." Gunn said.  
  
"Nothing like two homicidal maniacs to put a damper on an impromptu spiritual gathering." Lorne said.  
  
"What they saw tonight.. it's not what I would have wanted." Jasmine said. "But now they all understand the reality of what hatred can do to a person."  
  
"The reality is we need to find my wife and Fred." Angel said, looking up. "If we leave now, Connor and I can probably still track them."  
  
"I know you're all in pain. Most especially you Angel. You all trusted Buffy and Fred and they betrayed you."  
  
"Forget us. Fred tried to kill you."  
  
"And the sadness that brings me is immeasurable."  
  
"I should have just let Buffy cut my head off. My species.. decapitation loophole."  
  
"She still might have stabbed you, let you bleed to death." Connor said, just as miserable as Angel felt.  
  
"Why didn't I see it?" Angel asked. "She's my soulmate. I should have seen it."  
  
"Angel, none of us did. You can't blame yourself." Jasmine said.  
  
"She was acting weird earlier but I just thought it was Buffy being post evil Buffy."  
  
"That man at the hospital.." Wesley said. "I'm still shocked they would go and see him."  
  
"Once he had them there, he must have monkeyed with their brains somehow." Gunn said.  
  
"Maybe he made them do it, with magick or something." Connor suggested.  
  
"I doubt even Fred and Buffy understands why they're so determined to destroy everything we're trying to create. Which makes them even more dangerous." Jasmine said.  
  
"We have to kill Fred. There's no other way." Angel said.  
  
"What about Buffy?" Gunn asked.  
  
"She's my wife! I'm not going to kill her. Maybe I'll turn her and then Willow can give her back her soul and then she'll be ok again."  
  
"As long as they're out there, they're a threat." Wes said.  
  
"It may come to that but first we have to try to help them, get to the root of the hatred that's infected both their hearts." Jasmine said.  
  
"The only way to do that is to bring them home. Let's go." Angel said. He stood up and the others moved to follow him but Jasmine stopped them.  
  
"No. We'll find Fred and Buffy but not tonight. Tomorrow will be easier than today. We'll have eyes everywhere."  
  
Angel stared at her for a moment, but then decided Jasmine was right. He excused himself and walked up to his and Buffy's room. Closing the door, he sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands again. Maybe he should call her. That would get through to her if she heard his voice and trusted him. Buffy trusted him. She always had. Why would things be different now? He decided it was the best thing to do.  
Buffy sat in the car, her head lying on the wheel. She had cried herself to sleep there in a deserted parking lot. Fred lay curled up in the passenger's seat, gently sleeping. Earlier, they had tried to contact Willow to see if there was a spell to use to get rid of Jasmine's influence, but no one had been home. Now, Buffy dreamed of better times. Connor was a baby, Dawn was five, and she and Angel were happy parents living in Buffy's house. No one else lived there in her dream. She and Angel were the All American Family. Well, almost. They had the dream house and the dream van and they were the picture of a happy loving family with a dog and two kids, even though Dawn wasn't their baby. Yeah, there was a dog in this dream. Suddenly, a weird sensation came from Buffy's hip. She looked down at herself, but there was nothing there. Then she woke up. It was her cell phone that had interrupted the dream. Buffy stared daggers at it, but it didn't do much good. It was an inanimate object. Opening the phone, she saw that it was Angel. Why would he call her? Unless he had seen it too. Slowly, she pushed the talk button. "Hello?"  
  
"Buffy?"  
  
"Angel? Did you see it?"  
  
"See what?"  
  
"Jasmine! Her face!" It hit her. Angel wasn't calling to tell her everything was going to be ok. He was calling to find out where she was and what she was doing. "You didn't see it, did you? Angel, I swear I'm not crazy. It's there. I don't know how it's there, but it is. I need you to believe me."  
  
"Buffy, I believe that you need help. Come back here and let us help you."  
  
"I can't do that."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because She'll kill me. She'll kill me and Fred."  
  
"Why would Jasmine do that? She loves you both. All She wants to do is help."  
  
"That's not her agenda Angel. How can I convince you of that?" Buffy sighed. "I love you Angel."  
  
"I love you too Buffy. That's why you need to come back here and let us help you. Let me help you. I want to show you joy again."  
  
"I know you do. But you can't when you're like this. I'm a Slayer Angel and I need to see the other side of things. I'm on the other side and it sucks, believe me it does. But if I had to choose between not knowing what evil was going down or knowing and giving up that happy, not caring feeling.. You know what I would choose."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
"It is. I didn't love you enough."  
  
"What? Of course you did.. Do. You do love me enough. Some might say too much."  
  
"I can't love you enough because you're just not a loving person."  
  
"Angel! This isn't you. You would never say that. I love you. You know that."  
  
"You've been tempted by Fred's hatred."  
  
"Fred's hatred? No. Fred doesn't hate anybody. I wasn't tempted anyway. I don't know why we can see Jasmine's true face, but we can."  
  
"They're going to kill you if they find you."  
  
"So I figured. But would you kill me Angel? Could you? Do you love Jasmine more than me? Do you love her so much that you would kill me for her?" Angel was silent. "You can't answer me, can you? Didn't think so. Call me back when you can." Without letting him say anything else, Buffy hung up and tossed the phone in the seat beside her.  
  
Fred was awake and looking at her hopefully. "Was that Angel?" Buffy nodded. "Does he believe us?" Buffy looked at Fred sadly. "He doesn't. What did he want?"  
  
"He wanted me to come back so they can try and help me. Fred, we've got to find a way to make him see. Make them all see." Buffy's stomach growled. "But not on an empty stomach. Let's find somewhere safe we can eat."  
  
"I'm with you."  
  
Buffy started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. The sun was just starting to come up. By the time they found a place far enough out of the way to eat, it was almost seven in the morning. They walked in and sat down. Buffy ordered French toast with a side of bacon and Fred ordered eggs, bacon, and pancakes. The chef brought them their food twenty minutes later.  
  
"Here you go. Looks like you two just lost your best friend." He said.  
  
"All of them." Fred said.  
  
"And my husband." Buffy added, twirling her claddagh. "I never thought.."  
  
"Yeah, well, that's life in the big city." He tore off their ticket and slid it across the counter, then went back to the grill. Buffy and Fred ate their food while the TV played a morning news show called Good Morning L.A.  
  
"Welcome back." The announcer named Trish said. "Chef Arnold Michske will join us later but right now, we have the most amazing surprise. Please join me in welcoming a very special visitor.. Jasmine!"  
  
"Good morning, Los Angeles. Thank you for inviting me. This is a special day." Jasmine said on the TV. Buffy and Fred's heads snapped up and they stared at the TV in shock.  
  
"We want to know everything about you. Start at the beginning."  
  
"Trish, in the beginning, before the time of man, great beings walked the earth. Untold power emanated from all quarters: the seeds of what would come to be known as good and evil. Yet there was a balance. But the shadows stretched and became darkness and the malevolent among us grew stronger.."  
  
Buffy and Fred looked around them to find everyone in the diner kneeling on the floor, expressions of enraptured bliss on their faces as they watch Jasmine on the TV. They got shakily to their feet and walked quietly out of the diner, unnoticed by the enthralled customers. They walked out onto the street and made their way back to the car. Buffy gunned the engine and they peeled off. This was getting bigger than they had expected.  
Five days later, the afternoon was a beautiful Southern California afternoon. The sun was shining and everyone was happy. Everyone but Fred and Buffy that is. At the moment, they were running from Gunn and Wes. Buffy had separated from Fred and got Gunn to chase her while Wesley went after Fred. Gunn was the faster and stronger of the two men and Buffy knew that he would go after her. She rounded a corner and spotted Fred running past a car. Buffy grabbed her and hauled her behind a fountain.  
  
"Buffy!" Fred said.  
  
"Sorry I left you. Give me your jacket." Buffy said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Just do it." Fred handed Buffy her jacket and Buffy took her jean jacket off. They found a girl with long dark hair like Fred's and Buffy handed her Fred's coat. "Here. Jasmine wants you to have it."  
  
"Thanks!" The girl said, slipping it on.  
  
Fred pointed to a girl with long blonde hair and Buffy handed her the camisole, telling her the same thing. Then, Buffy grabbed Fred and they darted off into an alley just as Gunn caught up to Wes. She pulled open a manhole and the two dropped in. Buffy closed the manhole and dropped next to Fred. "There. They won't be able to find us for a while.. I think. Angel does know the sewers pretty well."  
  
"It's ok. I'm just glad we got outlawed together. I don't know where I'd be if it had been just me." Fred said.  
  
"You'd probably be dead. Cause if Jasmine had told me to kill you, I know I probably would have. No offense." They started to walk.  
  
"None taken."  
  
"So, the sun goes down in a little while and Angel can come out then." Buffy took out the Gem of Amara and stared at it. She had hidden it at her father's house in a loose floorboard in her old room. Buffy had gone to an ATM to some cash for clothes for Fred. Buffy had had clothes at her dad's house. They were a little big on her because she had lost so much weight in the past couple of months. Buffy slipped the ring back in her pocket. "If I didn't have this.. I think we'd both be dead by now."  
  
"Cause it wouldn't have been just Charles and Wesley out there."  
  
Buffy sighed. "I really am sorry about all this."  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
"No, it is. I let Jasmine be born. I was right there and I hesitated then I got blown away. If it weren't for me, we'd both be somewhere else. I'd probably still be in a living hell because things are getting worse in Sunnydale. I've got a crap load of more potentials staying at my house and Faith is getting kinda edgy. More Bringers are coming to town and Faith's mad because all the vampires are starting to high tail it too."  
  
"Well, that's there and this is here. We need to figure out if there's a way to break Jasmine's spell."  
  
"Maybe your book guy has found something. It's been three days."  
  
"Let's check."  
  
"The car's just a block away."  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
"Angel knows the sewers here pretty well and therefore I knew them pretty well too. I parked it in a parking garage ten blocks away from the Promenade."  
  
"Oh."  
Buffy and Fred drove to an occult/conspiracy theory themed bookstore that Fred had introduced Buffy to. They walked in and found the owner, Ted, shelving books among the stacks. He was a squirrelly little guy. Paranoid and hyperactive. He looked up at them. Fred smiled. "Hi. You probably don't remember us.."  
  
"Three days ago. Mass hypnosis. You wondered if it was possible." Ted said.  
  
"We read those books. Some wacko theories, by the way. All of the mass hypnosis theories seem highly flawed to me. I'm looking for a type of mind control that could affect everyone across the board."  
  
"I might have a book on that." He headed over to the counter and Fred perused the books on the reading table. Buffy looked at a couple, but nothing struck her as something she'd want to read.  
  
Fred picked up a couple of the books. "Astral Projections.. Satan's Dictionary? You must get some pretty colorful customers in here."  
  
"Used to. You're the only customers I've had since the last time you two were here."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Not a huge demand for photo books of serial killer autopsies when you're living in a utopian wonderland. You know what I mean?"  
  
"I hadn't really thought.. must be hard."  
  
"Hard? Are you kidding? It's great."  
  
"Great? Really?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah. Look at me. I've never been happier." Ted stared at them, stoned faced.  
  
"Sure. I see it now. You're practically glow-y."  
  
"I was flicking through the radio the other night. There's nothing really good on since Art Bell retired. I ended up listening to this woman talk."  
  
"Jasmine." Fred and Buffy said.  
  
"Yeah. You, too, huh? What a breath of fresh air she is. I listened for almost an hour. I'm a new man. I used to be obsessed with mind control. I read everything I could get my hands on."  
  
"And you don't believe in it anymore?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I believe. I just don't worry about it anymore."  
  
"So you don't worry that it's possible for someone to send out a biological or electronic trigger that effectively overrides your own sense of ideals and values and replaces them with an alternative coercive agenda that reduces you to little more than a mindless meat puppet?" Fred asked.  
  
"Wow. People used to think that I was paranoid. I mean, don't get me wrong. I've still got the implants in my head. The CIA is still listening in. It just doesn't bother me anymore. Instead, I beam Jasmine's love up to their satellite, you know. Share the love with those MK-ULTRA bastards."  
  
"That'll teach em."  
  
"Hey, now I get it."  
  
"You do?" Buffy asked, moving next to Fred protectively.  
  
"Yeah. I know what you two are doing." He opened a drawer beneath the counter and started going through the contents. He casually took out a revolver and set it on the counter while he looked through the drawer. Fred's eyes went wide and she started to back away as Buffy tugged her gently. Ted found what he was looking for and held it up. It was a book called Making Mind Control Work for You. "You want to fight fire with fire. Make sure the government and the other savages learn about Jasmine's love."  
  
"Exactly. That's exactly right. Why should we be the only shiny, happy people?" Buffy reached out for the book, but Ted pulled it back.  
  
"We don't need to use the evil tools of 'the man' when we have the wo'man'. We need to trust that Jasmine's love will reach the rest of the world just like it reached us."  
  
Buffy smiled, gritting her teeth in frustration. Fred just smiled and said, "Oh, happy day."  
  
Buffy tugged Fred. "Ok, well, we have places to be, people to spread the love to. Bye now." They left in a hurry and climbed in the car. Buffy groaned. "This sucks! Everyone's infected! Even the weird nerds who believe the CIA is after them and Scully and Mulder are real people."  
  
"Thank I'm not one of those people anymore."  
  
Buffy smiled at Fred's attempt at a joke. "I'm tired. Let's go back to the motel?"  
  
"Ok."  
  
Buffy pulled the car into the old raggedy motel they had chosen that was way out of the way. As Buffy parked, Fred walked up to the window and asked for the key. An old woman leaned against the wall nearby, smoking. Fred took the key and walked into the motel courtyard with Buffy. They headed up the exterior stairwell to the second-floor landing. As they walked past the rooms, a face suddenly appeared in one of the windows, watching them. Ahead of the two, a hooker and her client emerged from a room and they both suddenly turned and stared at them.  
  
"Hey Fred?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I don't think they're looking for some X-rated fun. Do you?"  
  
Fred shook her head and she and Buffy made their way back down the stairs. As they rounded the corner at the bottom, the old woman seized Fred by the arm and spun her around. Buffy pushed the lady back and Fred broke free with a gasp and ran toward the car only to find the way blocked by the motel clerk. They switched directions and ran through the parking lot toward the opposite street. As they passed a row of cars, one started up and pulled out, following them.  
  
Fred and Buffy ran down the sidewalk, glancing back over their shoulders at the car following them. Another driver pulled across the sidewalk, cutting them off and they dashed out into the street, heading for the opposite side. The first car instantly accelerated, heading straight for Buffy and Fred. Buffy grabbed Fred's arm and leapt out of the way at the last second and tumbled to the grass as the driver slammed into a parked car. Both vehicles exploded in a massive fireball. Buffy rolled onto her back and stared in shock as the driver got out of the flaming car and walked calmly toward her and Fred, his clothes ablaze. The fire started to melt his flesh but he seemed not to notice it as he reached his hand out toward them.  
  
"Fred? Buffy? Don't be afraid, Buffy. Don't be afraid, Fred."  
  
Then the man dropped to the ground, dead. Buffy was more than freaked now and she grabbed Fred's arm and together, the two women took off running. 


	68. The Magic Bullet part 2

Chapter 68  
  
Fred and Buffy walked along the side of the road winding through Griffith Park. They were all alone, the sun lowering on the horizon, the wind whistling forlornly through the trees. Buffy watched warily as an SUV passed them by. It proceeded past them up the road for about 200 feet, then screeched to a halt. Tires squealed as it backed toward them at high velocity. Buffy sighed and tackled Fred off the road into the bushes. Buffy hadn't realized here was an embankment and they tumbled down the hill and then crashing through the roof of a small cave.  
  
Fred crash-landed on top of a gnome-like creature. It was green with small worm-like tentacles trailing off either side of a mouth filled with small but sharp teeth. The little beast fought with Fred and they both rolled across the dirt floor, a tangle of arms and legs, toward the creature's campfire. Buffy grabbed the little demon off of Fred and tossed him to the other side of the cave while Fred picked up a hatchet.  
  
The demon held his hands up. "I'm a vegetarian!"  
  
"Really? With those choppers?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Okay. I eat fish and occasionally vermin. But that's it, I swear! You believe me, don't you?"  
  
"You're still breathing, aren't you?"  
  
"More like hyperventilating. You two scared the cream cheese out of me."  
  
"Glad to know I still have that effect on demons."  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"Do you know who I am?"  
  
"Not really, but you do like this familiar celebrity.. Sarah something."  
  
"Ever heard of a Slayer?"  
  
"Who hasn't?"  
  
"You'd be surprised." Buffy helped Fred stand up. Fred she checked her injuries, wincing at the sore spots. She stripped off her jacket and kneaded her bruised shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing? Don't do that. Come on, get a room!"  
  
"Oh, sit down! Any monkey business and I'll chop you down like a cherry tree." Buffy growled. "And I don't need an axe." Buffy glared menacingly and the demon reluctantly complied. Fred gingerly sat down on the opposite side of the cave from him, groaning from her aches and pains. "You ok?" Buffy asked her.  
  
"Don't have you're healing abilities, but I'll be ok." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah. Just call me Wolverine's daughter."  
  
The demon sat on the opposite side of the cave, watching them. "You a big fan of X-Men? I thought the movie was great. Really did the comics justice."  
  
"Hey! Do you ever shut up?"  
  
"So we're just going to sit here like this?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
"Can you give me a time frame? Cause I got a bladder the size of a Jujube."  
  
"Ew! Would you just shut up? We're trying to figure some stuff out."  
  
The demon glared, but then he complied and sat silently. Fred was thinking hard and Buffy could really tell. A couple of hours passed with Fred and Buffy conversing quietly. Buffy was now sitting on the ground, back against the rock wall, and her knees up to her chin.  
  
"Kind of drafty in here, what with that hole you two smashed in the roof. You mind if I quest for fire?" The demon asked, standing and going to the fire.  
  
"Sit down." Buffy barked.  
  
He sat down quickly. "Forget it. I'll just freeze to death. Not like I care anymore. I'm on the run like an animal."  
  
"You don't live here?" Fred asked.  
  
"Do you live in a dirt hole?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you want to live in a dirt hole?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then why the hell do you think that I live in a dirt hole?"  
  
"You're a demon." Buffy said, standing up.  
  
"I'm an executive demon, thank you very much. I had an office and an assistant and a beautiful porcelain cup for my tea. Now I live in a dirt hole because of those freakin' Jasmaniacs and their demon jihad."  
  
"Wait.. you're here because of Jasmine?" Fred asked. "Us, too. We're fugitives, too."  
  
"Wow, amazing! Three beings, as dissimilar as you two and me, discovering a shared link against a common foe. Huh. The irony. My feelings for you two are changing. I feel.. warmth. Wait. No, I don't. That's just me wetting myself because you wouldn't let me pee! Thanks for nothing."  
  
"Hey, I'm as new to this fugitive thing as you are. That's what we've been trying to suss out all night: how Jasmine controls people. We have to stop her."  
  
"Okay, we'll stop her. But not tonight. Not till I've had a little shut- eye. I'm beat." He walked over to a pile of blankets and lifted off the top one, revealing four severed human hands. Fred gasped in shock and the creature looked down, realizing his gig was up in the presence of a Slayer. "Hey.. these yours? Cause I've never seen em before. Why would anyone keep a stash of these tasty little.. I mean, disgusting meaty things like this laying around?" Buffy put her hands on her hips and glared. "Okay. So.. not a vegetarian." He ripped a finger off and munched on it. "Finger food?" Buffy glared, not buying it for a minute. The demon dropped the hand, bared his teeth, and charged Buffy. He leapt on her, driving her to the ground and sunk his teeth into her shoulder. "I got your demon jihad right here!" The little beast bit her again, pulling away a chunk of flesh and eating it. Buffy cried out in pain and she closed her hand around the hatchet lying next to her. She raised it up and slammed the blade down into the back of the demon's head, killing it.  
  
"Son of a bitch." Buffy said, heaving the dead monster off of her and struggling to her feet. She held her injured arm. As Fred looked at the blood oozing from the wound, a realization hit her. Buffy saw it. "What?"  
  
"Blood." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah. You tend to bleed a lot when you're a Slayer. Comes with the job."  
  
"No. I meant, that's how we break Jasmine's glamour."  
  
Buffy understood what she meant. "When we were washing Jasmine's shirt, the blood from it sunk into my stomach wound when I touched it and it sunk into your fingers when they bled from scrubbing too hard."  
  
"So all we have to do is get some of Jasmine's blood."  
  
"Easier said than done." Buffy looked up. "I think I have a plan."  
Buffy and Fred stood in front of the bookstore surrounded by people, all followers of Jasmine, all staring at them blankly. They had stopped and gotten a couple of jackets from the car at the motel. Nobody had seen them luckily. Now, here they were in front of a lot of people who were prepared to kill them. Buffy sighed and said, "Here we are. Come and get us." Nobody moved. "Ok, then, we're going to go in here and wait." They turned and headed into the store.  
  
Ted stared at them. "Hey Fred. Hey Buffy."  
  
"You know our names." Fred said.  
  
"You two are famous." He started towards them.  
  
"Then you know I'm not just a girl." Buffy said. "One step closer and you'll be a woman the rest of your life."  
  
"No need to worry. We're under strict orders not to hurt you."  
  
"How'd I figure? Jasmine's coming for us."  
  
"Yeah. Hey, could I get your autograph?"  
  
Buffy held up her hand and stopped Ted. She and Fred walked over to the counter, opening the drawer there. "Anything for a fan. Who should I sign it to?"  
  
"To me, of course." Jasmine said. She was standing in the doorway with Angel on one side and Connor on the other. She turned to Ted. "And to reward you for your faithfulness.. Dallas. November 22, 1963. There was no second gunman. Oswald acted alone."  
  
"Oh my God!" Ted said.  
  
Jasmine smiled, then turned to Buffy and Fred. Her smile turned predatory. "You know that I love you, don't you? And there's nothing you can do or say to make me stop loving you."  
  
"I'm so sorry." Buffy said.  
  
"It's okay. I forgive you both."  
  
"No. I'm talking to my husband. I hope he can forgive me." Buffy lifted her hand from inside the drawer to reveal she was holding Ted's gun. She aimed it at Jasmine and fired with perfect aim. The bullet punched through Jasmine's shoulder and buried itself in Angel's chest. He reeled backward, then whirled on Buffy, his face vampiric. As Connor rushed to Jasmine's aid, Angel leapt across the room, knocked Fred back against the wall, yanked Buffy out from behind the counter, seized the gun from her and jammed it up under her chin, cocking the hammer.  
  
"Dumb idea for such a Slayer." Angel growled. "You know bullets don't kill me. You want to see how they work on you?"  
  
Buffy lifted her hand to Angel's cheek and pushed his head gently in Jasmine's direction. "Look at her, Angel."  
  
Angel looked over at Jasmine and saw a moldering corpse, maggots squirming in its eye sockets. "No! No.."  
  
"Angel?" Jasmine asked confused.  
  
Buffy sat up and helped Fred to her feet. She walked over to Angel. "I'm sorry. I had to show you. I'm so sorry."  
  
"Show you what?" Connor asked.  
  
"No, it can't be." Angel said.  
  
Jasmine took her hand from her wound and looked down at the blood, realizing. "My blood.."  
  
"Dad, what's going on?" Connor asked. He moved towards Angel, but Jasmine stopped him.  
  
"Don't! He's been infected. I'm sorry, Connor. He's as dead to us as your mother and Fred."  
  
Fred leaned down and picked up the discarded handgun. She pointed it at Jasmine tearfully. "I loved you so much." She fired. The bullets slammed into Jasmine's body staggering her. Connor wrenched the gun away before she could fire more than three rounds and hurled her over the counter.  
  
He turned to Jasmine as Buffy started forward. "We need to get you out of here." Buffy grabbed Connor's arm and spun him to face her. He punched her in the face and she blocked the next punch. "You ruined everything!" Connor yelled.  
  
"Yeah? I did? Sorry about that." Buffy punched Connor hard and he staggered, getting ready to come at her again. "You don't want to do that. I'm stronger than you."  
  
Connor stared at her, then backed down. He turned to Jasmine. "I don't understand. How did it happen?"  
  
Buffy ignored the rest as she went back over to Angel and Fred. Fred was unconscious and Angel was holding her. They walked out the back and went out into the night. Buffy found an alley a few blocks from the store and Angel set Fred down. He walked away from Buffy and leaned against a wall. Buffy tried to hold back the tears. She felt so bad that she had ruined Angel's happy. With a deep breath, she turned to Angel. "Angel? You okay?"  
  
"Bullet feels like a bee sting." Angel said.  
  
"That's not what I meant."  
  
"I know what you meant. I don't want to talk about it."  
  
"I think you do." Buffy walked over to him and put her hands on his chest.  
  
He took them in his hands and looked down at Buffy. "I miss her so much. I never.. Not since you were gone."  
  
"I know. It's been over a week and I still cry. Part of me wishes I still believed the lie."  
  
"Well, why don't we? I mean, I'm not exactly clear on.."  
  
"Jasmine's blood. It was on the bullet that hit you. Somehow it breaks her spell when it mingles with ours. I think it must have got in my system when I was trying to help Fred get the blood off Her blouse."  
  
"You did the right thing, Buffy. It took a lot of courage." Buffy started to cry and he pulled her to him. "Look, it must have been hard for you."  
  
"I'm sorry. I've been so alone, even with Fred here.. and I was so scared. I don't feel like a champion anymore. I don't feel like I should be the Slayer."  
  
"Everything I see says different." Buffy looked up at him and he wiped away the tears from her cheeks. Behind them, Fred stood up and walked over.  
  
She offered them a smile, but then got down to business. "We need more of Jasmine's blood. We have to help the others."  
  
"We'll never get close to her. Not now." Angel said.  
  
"Then we need another way."  
  
He thought for a minute then looked at Buffy, hesitating. Buffy looked at him. "What?"  
  
"It's pretty horrible but maybe.." Voices came from the end of the alley as several people approached. Fred ducked behind a dumpster and Buffy quickly grabbed Angel and started kissing him, making out like lovers out on the town. The voices faded and Buffy broke the kiss, her lips still inches from Angel's. "Wow. I missed that."  
  
"You think they bought it?"  
  
"I did. I mean, I didn't hear anything. God I missed you."  
  
"Angel.." They turned around to find half a dozen men and women staring at them silently.  
  
"Angel.." Said one woman.  
  
"You're dead, Buffy." Said a man.  
  
"I'm thinking they didn't buy it." Angel said.  
  
"Well, there goes that plan." Buffy said.  
  
"Get him!" A man yelled.  
  
Buffy and Angel glanced at each other and then waded into the mob. They punched and kicked their way through. Once everyone was unconscious instead of dead, Buffy turned and called to Fred. She came out from behind the dumpster and joined Buffy and Angel. They decided it was best to get somewhere safe, so they headed down the nearest manhole.  
  
"You guys came down here a lot, huh?" Angel asked.  
  
"It's not like we would leave for Bali or anything." Buffy said, holding Angel's hand tightly. "We're fugitives. The sewers are perfect for us."  
  
"I'm sorry about this."  
  
"It's ok. We're used to it by now. What were you thinking before we got interrupted?"  
  
"Oh! Jasmine's blood! Well, it's kinda bad in the small picture, but in the bigger picture.. Cordelia."  
  
"Cordelia's the bigger picture?" Fred asked.  
  
Buffy knew what he was saying. "Cordy's blood might have the same effect as Jasmine's. Cordy did carry Jasmine and I remember all those baby books talking about how pregnancy works! The mother and the baby share blood."  
  
"So, if Connor shares your blood, then Jasmine should share Cordelia's blood." Angel said.  
  
"Why Cordelia though?" Fred asked.  
  
"She's the easiest to get to seeing as how she's a little comatose." Buffy said. "Connor would fight and that would cause attention and that would cause us to get caught." Buffy looked at Angel, who was sniffing the air. "What?"  
  
"You're hurt." He said.  
  
"Yeah. Turns out vamps aren't the only things that bite in this town." She pulled down her jacket enough to bare her shoulder. Angel ran his thumb over it gently, causing Buffy to hiss.  
  
"We need to patch that up."  
  
"I'll be fine. It's a lot worse than it looks. You should have seen it earlier." Angel looked at her concerned. "The demon's dead and I'm not."  
  
"It could have been poisonous."  
  
"If it was, I'd be dead right now. Besides, the only threat it poses now is not decomposing properly and the hole in the Ozone layer gets bigger."  
  
"Still.." Buffy silenced him with a gentle kiss on the lips. "Ok, let's get going." 


	69. The Magic Bullet part 3, Sacrifice

Chapter 69  
  
Hundreds of flickering candles surrounded Cordelia as she slept. Two of Jasmine's followers stood over her, looking down at her with awe. After a moment, they backed out of the room and closed the door. When they were gone, Angel opened the window and crawled in, tripping over the window sill and tumbling to the floor with a crash, knocking candles and knickknacks everywhere. He leapt to his feet, listening intently for any reaction from within the hotel. Buffy and Fred followed him through the window  
  
"Great move stealth guy." Buffy said.  
  
Angel only shrugged as they approached Cordelia's bed. Fred looked around, completely terrified they were going to get caught. "I can't even count all the ways this is wrong."  
  
"It's not like she'll feel it. Right? I mean, she's.." Angel said.  
  
"Brain-dead?" Buffy asked. "The expression doesn't exactly leave a lot to the imagination, does it?"  
  
"It just makes what I have to do a little easier." He took out a knife and kneeled next to Cordelia. He looked at her for a moment, then kissed her on the forehead. "I'm so sorry.." As he raised the knife, Cordelia's hand suddenly shot up and seized his wrist. Excited, Angel dropped the knife and held Cordelia's hand. "She's awake! Cordy? Cordelia, can you hear me? We're right here." No response. "Did you see that? She grabbed my hand."  
  
"Angel, people in comas, sometimes their bodies just do things.. mumble words, maybe even open their eyes. It doesn't necessarily mean they're waking up." Fred said.  
  
"But it could, right? I mean, stranger things have happened."  
  
"Like Cordelia giving birth to a beautiful ebony goddess?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not the example I was looking for but yeah."  
  
"I know. Sorry. Maybe we should get this over with."  
  
Angel picked up the knife and held it over Cordelia's open hand. He sliced open her wrist and Fred held a small bowl beneath Cordelia's hand as Angel let her blood drip from the knife wound into it. After a minute, the little bowl was half full.  
  
"Is that enough?" Fred asked.  
  
Before Angel could answer, the door behind him opened and Lorne stepped in. Buffy, Fred, and Angel quickly turned their backs so that he couldn't see their faces. In the dark room, they just appeared to be random followers paying their respects to Cordelia.  
  
"Any more room at the inn?" Lorne asked. He started to pick up the candles Angel had knocked over. "Oh, look at this. Pigs in paradise. Mind if I pay my respects to the woman who made peace on earth a possible possibility? Thank you, Cordelia, for your sacrifice. For bringing our Jasmine into the world and.." Lorne stopped. Buffy saw the blood running from Cordy's wrist and knew Lorne saw it too. "Hey. Hey! What are you doing to the holy.." Buffy shot up and clamped a hand around Lorne's mouth, shoving him against the wall. "Unclean! Unclean!" He mumbled.  
  
"Angel, slice him!" Buffy hissed.  
  
Angel took the knife and slit Lorne's wrist. He mumbled "OW!" and then Angel rubbed the blood into Lorne's wound. After a moment, Lorne stopped struggling and Buffy let him go. "Sorry." Angel said.  
  
"What the hell did you do to me!?" Lorne asked, angrily.  
  
"What we had to." Buffy said. "If I were you, I'd stay away from Jasmine now."  
  
"Why? Because you people are crazy and want to kill her with your hate?"  
  
"Lorne, please! You know we wouldn't do this to you if there wasn't a good reason."  
  
"What?"  
  
Buffy remembered a song that had stuck with her after watching A Walk To Remember on DVD while she had been pregnant. She had loved the song so much, she had sent Angel to buy her the soundtrack. "There's a song that's inside of my soul. It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again. I'm awake in the infinite cold. But you sing to me over and over and over again. So I lay my head back down. And I lift my hands and pray to be only yours, I pray to be only yours, I know now you're my only hope." She sang softly. Lorne stared at her and then his face became a mask of pain. Buffy gave him a hug. "Sorry."  
  
Lorne made a small whimper sound. "It's ok. At least I got you to sing again didn't I?"  
  
Buffy smiled. "Only for you Lorne."  
  
He sighed as Buffy took Cordy's first aid kit from a drawer and started to bandage Lorne's wrist. "Well, you sing better than your husband. He and Connor sang a new rendition of 'Mandy' devoted to Jasmine."  
  
Buffy turned to look at Angel. He shrugged sheepishly. She turned back to Lorne. "Hey Lorne, we need you to do something for us."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Can you get Wesley and Gunn up here?"  
  
"I can try." Buffy nodded and Lorne took out a flask and took a swig. Fred peered around the corner, then stepped out in the hallway, followed by Buffy, Angel, and Lorne.  
  
"You're sure you can do this?" Angel asked.  
  
Lorne stared at the floor, depressed, then nodded, raised a flask, and took another deep swig. "Hallelujah."  
Gunn sat with his head in his hands, devastated. Both he and Wesley had bandages on their wrists now. Wesley looked at Fred and Buffy. "How did you figure it out?"  
  
"It was Buffy and Angel. They figured since Cordy gave birth to Jasmine, they might share a blood link as well as a mystical one." Fred said.  
  
"We hoped Cordy's blood would have the same effect when we exposed you to it." Buffy said, holding tightly to Angel.  
  
"Thanks for nothing." Gunn said.  
  
"Yeah. You slashed this wrist. Now I'm ready to do the other one myself." Lorne said.  
  
"Everything we believed.. deception." Wesley said.  
  
"And how do we convince several million other people that Jasmine's message is false?" Angel asked.  
  
"It's impossible." Fred said. "Even if we're able to develop a synthetic analog to the blood, there's.. I mean, how do we fight something this huge and powerful?"  
  
"I don't know yet but what I do know is that I'm not leaving this hotel without our son." Buffy said.  
  
Wesley stood up. "I'll get him. I've kidnapped him before." With that, he left.  
  
Buffy turned to Angel and led him over to a corner while they waited. He held her chin with his hand and kissed the tip of her nose. "It's going to be ok. We're going to get Connor back and figure out a way to stop Jasmine."  
  
"It's not just this. Even if we do stop Jasmine, there's still the First in Sunnydale." Buffy said. "I don't even think I can beat that."  
  
"You can and you will. Buffy, you've faced incredibly impossible odds before and you've always come out on top. This one's no different."  
  
"It is. Because this is the big apocalypse. I can just feel it. Jasmine: I don't know what she's got up her sleeve, but it can't be that great. Humanity is too evil to be redeemed fully."  
  
"It's not as hopeless as you think. You've got people behind you that are here to help. You've got me to fall back on when you need me and I'll step in and kill the big bad thing for you. You'll never be alone again. I promise you."  
  
"Hey guys, heads up." Gunn said. "Connor's comin'."  
  
Buffy and Angel moved behind the door and Fred walked over to a darkened corner. Gunn and Lorne stayed in the open since Connor didn't know they were on Angel's side again. Connor walked in and saw Gunn. "What?" Then he noticed Fred in the corner. "Hey!" Angel seized him from behind, pinning his arms as they all surrounded him. "No!"  
  
Buffy walked in front of him. "It's gonna be okay. You've been lied to. We all have."  
  
"Don't make this any harder." Angel said.  
  
"Let go!" Connor said, struggling to get away from Angel. Gunn steps forward with a knife and sliced open Connor's shirt. Connor lashed out with his feet, kicking Gunn in the belly and sending him staggering backward. Wesley snatched up the knife and took over, placing the blade against Connor's chest and dipping the fingers of his other hand in Cordelia's blood. "Don't.." Wesley sliced, cutting Connor's chest, then rubbed the blood into the wound. "I'm gonna kill you!" Connor yelled at Angel.  
  
Buffy stroked Connor's cheek gently. "It'll pass."  
  
"Yeah, right, cause lord knows, he's never tried that before." Lorne said.  
  
"You're back with us now, Connor." Gunn said.  
  
Connor looked around wildly, then the fight went out of him. He sagged backward against Angel who let him go. Buffy smiled and went to get the bandages for Connor's chest. Angel looked at Connor. "Sorry. It was the only way to make you see."  
  
"What you're feeling is normal." Fred said. "We're all feeling it. The sadness.. it gets better after a while."  
  
"Jasmine.." Connor said despairingly.  
  
"You understand why we're here?" Buffy asked, setting the first aid kit on a table.  
  
Connor nodded sadly. He shook his head and walked aimlessly around the room, ending up by the door. He stared at the group for a moment, then opened the door and shouted down the hall. "They're here! Come quick! They're here!"  
  
"Connor, you have to listen to us."  
  
"Listen to you? You're the ones who lie. You're the ones who hate."  
  
"No, Connor.."  
  
"Jasmine's controlling you, controlling your feelings." Angel said.  
  
"You're wrong, dad. About me, about her, everything. It doesn't matter anymore what you say." Connor looked down the hall at the approaching mob, then back at Buffy and Angel. "We're gonna tear you apart."  
  
Angel lunged at the door, slamming it shut and locking Connor and the approaching mob outside. He leaned against the door with all his force. "Run! Get the car! Get out of here. I'll hold him off. Someone who knows the truth has to live through this. Go!"  
  
Buffy stared at Angel. "I'm not leaving you."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
She slammed her hand against the door and held it. "I'm staying. I can't lose you."  
  
"They need someone Buffy. Someone who can lead them and keep them safe." Angel kissed Buffy gently. "Please. For me."  
  
She hesitated and then Wesley came and took her hand. "Come on." Buffy took one last look at Angel and then dashed out after the rest of the gang. They clambered down the fire escape and they ran off to get the car Angel had parked a few blocks away. Buffy gave Wesley the keys as they all piled in. He pulled the car out back behind the fire escape and screeched to a halt ten minutes later.  
  
Buffy looked up at Cordy's window and then down at her watch. "I'm going back up."  
  
"No. Just wait." Wesley said.  
  
"He's been gone too long. This is all wrong. There has to be a way we could.."  
  
"We could cut the power, create a diversion." Gunn said.  
  
"No, she has hundreds of followers in there all acting with a single, focused will." Wes said. "We can't risk going against that. Not now. Someone.."  
  
Connor landed on the hood of the car, face down and then Angel landed on the hood of the car on his feet. Angel jumped down and pulled Connor's body to the ground then jumped in the car, in the front seat beside Buffy. "Drive."  
  
"Angel that's our son!" Buffy said, trying to crawl out over him. "We can't just leave him."  
  
Angel grabbed her waist and held her. "I know what he is. Wes, drive."  
  
The mob, followed by Jasmine, approached the car. Wes put it in reverse, screeching the tires as he pulled away. Jasmine watched them go. Buffy turned to Angel angrily. "What the hell did you do to our son?"  
  
"I didn't kill him. He's going to be fine."  
  
"NO! He's not. He's with that THING and you left him there!"  
  
"I had to."  
  
"No, you didn't." Buffy started to cry. Angel knew she was still hurting and he didn't want to make her hurt anymore, but he had to leave Connor there for everyone's sake. All he could do was hold her and keep her safe in his arms.  
  
Wesley turned the radio on as he pulled onto the highway. The radio announcer sounded way too happy. "And in an impromptu speech today, the mayor, I really love that guy, don't you? The mayor declared Los Angeles the first 'Citadel of Jasmine', a cradle of civilization which will usher in a new age for all of humanity. In related news, the L.A. Archdiocese has stated to the press that it will remove all false idols from its churches, replacing them with images of she who walks among us. Way to go, Catholic Church. Yes, it's a great day to be alive."  
  
"Well, talk about media bias." Lorne said. "Well, not that I wanna talk about media bias. It seems rather moot right now. Speakin' of moot, what about us? Anyone else feel like the last feisty wife in Stepford?"  
  
"What are we gonna do? What can we do?" Fred asked.  
  
"There has to be an answer." Wesley said.  
  
"There has to be a way. We just need time." Angel said.  
  
"To hell with that." Gunn said. "We need a damn break. But the universe don't seem to be handing breaks out to the underdog lately. No leads, no database, no weapons, no shelter."  
  
"And very little gas." Wes added.  
  
"We should've taken Connor with us. He looked so.." Fred said, thinking of Buffy. "What if he doesn't wake up?"  
  
"What if we took him and he did?" Angel asked, looking at Buffy.  
  
She turned away and stared out the windshield. Connor was her son and she had lost him once already. Now to just leave him with the bad guy purposely: It was a little more than she wanted to handle. Everything had gone so wrong in the past week and it kept getting worse. Buffy hated to be so mad at Angel having just got him back, but she couldn't exactly help it. Even though she knew he was right about Connor waking up. She looked at Angel's hurt face, knowing she had caused it, and then took his hand. She was apologizing in her own little Buffy way. Angel looked over at her and offered a small smile and a light squeeze to her hand telling her he wasn't angry with her.  
  
Wesley turned onto another off ramp and drove a little ways to another gas station. There were a lot of people gathered there, but not as many as first few places they'd tried. Wes stopped in the shadows and stared at the mass. Lorne was the first to speak. "Oh, I don't know, kids. That's a whole lot of pod people."  
  
"Well, it's better than the last three places. We won't make it out of the city without any gas." Angel said.  
  
"So that's our big plan? Just keep runnin'?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I hear good things about Belize." Lorne offered.  
  
"If we could get out of the sphere of Jasmine's influence, we might be able to warn people, prepare some form of resistance." Wesley said.  
  
"We could always go to Sunnydale." Gunn said.  
  
"Do you really want to get involved in another apocalypse before this one ends?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Let's not go to Sunnydale. Bad idea."  
  
"Look at 'em. They're all so happy." Fred said, looking at the people.  
  
"Yeah, they'll be happier when they're gouging out our eyes and stompin' us 'til their shoes get sticky." Gunn said.  
  
"That's why we have to do this fast." Angel said.  
  
"Fast works for me." Buffy said.  
  
"They're just under her spell. All right? But if it does come down to a choice between us or them.."  
  
"Believe me, I'm there." Gunn said.  
  
Gunn slipped out of the car and snuck up behind a man pre-paying for gasoline at the pump. He turned to put the nozzle in his SUV, but Gunn punched him out and took the nozzle from the man. "Sorry, bro. It's for your own good." Wesley backed the car up to the pump. Gunn addressed the other people there. "That's right. It's the big, bad free will gang, gassin' up!"  
  
Buffy and Angel stepped out of the car and Angel looked around. "All right, stay back. We don't wanna hurt anybody."  
  
"But you are hurting them, Angel, just by being." Jasmine said. Buffy and Angel spun to find an Asian man standing there instead of Jasmine. "You're a disease in the body Jasmine, and you'll be purged."  
  
"Ok, that's new." Buffy said.  
  
The young Asian man lunged toward Buffy, trying to punch her, but Buffy easily knocked him down. Behind them, Lorne called, "Soccer mom, 12 o'clock!" A woman swung a huge wrench at Wesley, but he punched her down.  
  
A man dressed in camouflage broke the bottom off of a bottle and stalked Fred. "You can't outrun my love. It has wings made of radio.." He said in Jasmine's voice. He jabbed at Fred with the broken bottle, but Buffy ran up and punched him, knocking him out.  
  
An SUV pulled up behind Gunn and a little girl in the back seat rolled down her window and addressed him with Jasmine's voice. "My love sings over the wires that bind this world."  
  
"Ok, gettin' a little creepy." Buffy said.  
  
"The city is mine, heroes." Jasmine said all around them through the people all at once. "All the tools are mine."  
  
A man carrying a wrench walked purposefully toward Buffy and Angel. Angel backed up a bit. "Yeah, we're workin' on that." He shoved Buffy in the car and then jumped in himself, followed by Fred. "Ok. Pit stop's over. Let's go."  
  
Lorne, Gunn, and Wes jumped in. Lorne sighed dramatically. "No snacks? I thought snacks.."  
  
Wes put the car in gear and drove off just as the man with the wrench reached the car. The man rolled off of the hood of the car and fell to the ground as they drove off so fast the tires screeched. Two police cars followed them with sirens blaring. The man with the wrench sat up and watched them go, laughing in Jasmine's voice.  
  
"Ok, that was majorly creepy back there." Buffy said.  
  
"Her telepathic link is getting stronger." Wesley said.  
  
"Just when you need a telepathic witch to fight a telepathic bitch.." Buffy sighed, leaving the sentence hanging in the air. 


	70. Sacrifice part 2

Chapter 70  
  
Wesley pulled the car off to the side of the road and stopped the car. The police had been chasing them for a while and they had managed to shake them for the time being, but it wouldn't be long before they would find them. Gunn looked behind them. "Man, never seen so many cruisers."  
  
"Technically, we're the only criminals left." Wesley said.  
  
"There's no way we're drivin' out of this. It's time we disappeared." Angel said.  
  
"Where'll we go?" Lorne asked.  
  
"The only place we can go." Buffy said.  
  
They all piled out of the car and Buffy and Angel led them to the nearest manhole cover. Angel was the last to drop down into the sewer. Once again, he and Buffy took the lead and started walking. They walked fast, wanting to make sure they got deep into the sewers before anyone realized they had gone down into them. Behind them, everyone struggled and panted, desperately trying to keep up. Angel turned slightly and told them to get a move on it.  
  
"Yeah, I'm movin', Angel cakes. Might not look like it, but inside, where it counts, I'm runnin'. Full speed ahead, believe me." Lorne panted.  
  
"It won't take them long to figure out.." Buffy said. She turned and looked around to see that Lorne, Wesley, Gunn, and Fred were all exhausted, barely keeping up with them. She looked at Angel and he shrugged. "All right. One minute."  
  
"I doubt anyone under her control knows these tunnels better than you two." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah, it should buy us some time." Angel said.  
  
"Time to do what?" Gunn asked. "Get all stanky and starve to death? I mean, what are we doin'?"  
  
"You know what? I don't know what we're gonna do, Gunn." Buffy said angrily. "We don't have a plan. Now, I guess this whole Jasmine world order thing kind of took us by surprise."  
  
"Well, I ain't eatin' no rats."  
  
"Good. Neither am I." Angel said.  
  
"All right, then, plan's comin' together."  
  
"Glad to see you're on board." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, god. All.. all the chasing and the chaos.." Fred said.  
  
"Cordelia." Wesley said.  
  
"I can't believe I almost forgot about her."  
  
"Do it. Forget about her. We all have to now. We don't have a choice." Angel said.  
  
"Minute's up." Buffy said. She and Angel started to walk again and the rest of the gang followed. This time they tried to watch their speed so they didn't ware everyone out so soon. Buffy looked at Angel in confusion. He noticed it, but she looked away.  
  
"What?" Angel asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"No, it's something. What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm just agitated by all this."  
  
"I think we all are."  
  
"Not just Jasmine. I'm agitated that I'm running.. Again! I'm the Slayer for Christ's sake! I'm not supposed to run. I've faced down a God and I can't handle Jasmine?"  
  
"Buffy, you're not alone in this. I told you that. What's up with you lately? You act like everything is your fault and you've got to fix it on your own. You don't have to do that anymore. I'm here. Your problems are my problems. We split everything 50/50."  
  
"It's just me. I can't help it that I take everything on myself and forget I have other people to help take care of me. I was so used to it for so long that when I finally didn't have to.. I just can't help it."  
  
"I know how you feel. I've been there too."  
  
Buffy pfted. "Sucks, huh?"  
  
"You know it." They rounded a corner.  
  
Behind them, Lorne looked at Fred. "You look a little down, sugarplum. Is it Cordy?"  
  
"I can't. I don't care what he says." Fred said.  
  
"I know, kitten. It's strange, but under that blood-feeding creature of the night facade, he seems a bit heartless lately. Both of them do."  
  
"Hearts get in the way." Buffy and Angel both said.  
  
"Hearing as good as ever, though, bosses!" Lorne called.  
  
"If we don't gut ourselves and burn out everything inside that gave her power over us, then we're lost." Angel said.  
  
"I hate to say it, Dr. Pep, but I've been lost for, like, 2 hours."  
  
"Still, I miss her. I miss the warmth and the knowing what's right and that you're doing it just by loving her." Wesley said.  
  
"Tough drug to kick cold turkey." Gunn said.  
  
"I remember the first time she took me aside at that fight at the bowling alley. Me, pale, frail Winfred Burkle, sitting with a goddess, and she was asking me what her name should be." Fred said.  
  
"Seems strange now. A being of her immeasurable age. You think she'd already have a name." Wesley said.  
  
"Well, maybe it was embarrassing, like Hester or Peanut." Lorne offered.  
  
Buffy and Angel, who were still walking out front of the gang, fell through the floor into a huge hole. Fred ran up to the edge. "Buffy! Angel!"  
  
Buffy had managed to hold on to the floor so she didn't fall to the bottom of the hole. Gunn reached out to grab Buffy's hand and pull her up. "I got you." He said.  
  
Whatever Angel had grabbed onto hadn't held, and he had fallen to the bottom of the hole. He looked up and saw Fred and Lorne turn around, surprised at something. Then a gang of teenagers came up to the edge of the hole. The kids pointed sharp wooden poles at Angel.  
  
"Buffy?" Angel called up.  
  
"I'm all right." Buffy called back.  
  
"No. You're not all right till I say you're all right. Holly, you good?" One of the guys asked.  
  
"Yup." The girl named Holly said.  
  
"Trip. That ugly-ass beastie so much as breathes wrong, you stick him."  
  
"Ugly ass? Hey!" Lorne said.  
  
"You know, I kind of have a thing about people pointing sharp wooden things at my husband." Buffy said. "Gimme that." She grabbed the pole.  
  
In one swift movement, Angel leapt up out of the hole and landed on his feet in front of the young man. Angel, Buffy, Gunn, Fred, and Wesley fought the group of kids. Angel stopped them. "Enough! Enough." He looked down at the young boy he knocked down. "You ok?" He reached out a hand to the boy to help him to his feet.  
  
"Yeah." The kid said, standing up.  
  
"It's ok. They're not under her power."  
  
"Her who?" Asked the leader.  
  
"We'll ask the questions." Gunn said.  
  
"Angel, are you sure?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, they're not exactly fighting like a well-oiled, mind-controlled army of love, are they?" Angel asked.  
  
Gunn still held his opponent's back against the wall. "Hell no. More like a bunch of little punks."  
  
"Punks?" Leader guy asked.  
  
"Gunn, let him go." Buffy said. Gunn backed off.  
  
"Gunn? Charles Gunn."  
  
"I say you could use my name?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I say you could use my ride without payin' the piper?"  
  
"What? Payin' the.. Tommy Golden's little brother? Randall? Little ass Randall Golden, man. This punk stole my car when he was 12 years old."  
  
"What are you doin' down here, man?" Golden asked.  
  
"Like I said, son, we'll ask the questions." They all heard an eerie distant noise. "Startin' with what the hell was that?"  
  
"It's back."  
  
"What's back?" Buffy asked, standing next to Angel and holding his hand.  
  
"Come on. We need to get outta here." The kids led Angel, Buffy, and the rest of the gang into a grated-off and fenced-off alcove in the sewers.  
  
"Wow. Really like what you've done with the place." Gunn said.  
  
"Yes, this is homey." Lorne added.  
  
"So, it's secure?" Angel asked, checking the grating.  
  
"It's held so far." Golden said.  
  
"Uh huh." Buffy said doubtfully. "I ask again in a different form: Held against WHAT?"  
  
"Don't know exactly. Never have gotten a clean shot. But it's not like anything I've ever seen."  
  
"Golden's brother used to soldier in my crew back in the old days." Gunn said, patting Golden on the back. "Then he broke off, went solo."  
  
"Yeah, Tommy was running our unit when the sun went out. Stayed topside as long as we could, tried to hold some ground, but there were too many of 'em. We go out every day and check the traps, but I don't think we've caught anything today.."  
  
"They're your crew, aren't they?" The little boy asked Buffy and Angel. They were leaning against the grating. "You're the leaders. I'm Matthew."  
  
"You guys really know how to live." Gunn said.  
  
"It's ok. All the other ways in are grated off. We checked." Matthew said.  
  
"Well, now we're checkin'." Angel said.  
  
"Angel, play nice." Buffy said. She looked at Matthew. "He's so young."  
  
"We found him in a pile-up on La Brea." Golden said. "Vamps laid tire traps on the road, havin' themselves a car-wreck picnic. He watched them murder his parents. They were comin' after him when we showed up."  
  
Buffy looked at Angel's bloody knuckles and then turned and kneeled down in front of Matthew. "Matthew, have you got any water in this place?"  
  
"Yep. We tapped a clean water pipe right over here." Matt said, leading them to a leaking pipe. Buffy shoved Angel's hands under the water and made him wash them.  
  
"Anyway, I knew about this place." Holly said. "I used to crash up here nights when the missions were full."  
  
"So we hit a supermarket that hadn't burnt down yet and got some supplies and went under. Been down here ever since. About 2 weeks and some change." Golden said.  
  
"No offense, but, uh, 2 weeks down here and I'd be ready to move back in with my mother." Lorne said.  
  
"Yeah, well, we were holdin' our own. Occasional baddie lookin' for a place to sleep, nothin' we couldn't handle. Till that thing out there moved into our territory. It's been pickin' us off ever since."  
  
"Got Tommy almost a week ago." Holly said sadly. "He was out resetting the traps." Matt watched Buffy dry Angel's hands off. "Whose blood is that?"  
  
"Somebody I knew." Angel said with a far away look. "Somebody who tried to do bad stuff to my friends." Buffy brought Angel to her and hugged his waist tightly, laying her head on his chest.  
  
"I can't believe you stayed down here." Fred said.  
  
"Worse up there, ain't it?" Holly asked. "The world is ending. What does it matter where we go?"  
  
"Besides, whatever that evil son-of-a-bitch is, it killed our people, killed my brother." Golden said. "We're gonna kill him right back."  
  
"It's weird, really, us running into you like this." Fred said. "I mean, we.. we're professional monster killers. Or we were."  
  
"Are, Fred. We are." Angel said. He picked up a sword.  
  
"Hey, that belonged to Tommy." Golden said.  
  
"Well, now it belongs to me. Let's go get professional on this evil son-of- a-bitch's ass." Angel walked out. Buffy sighed and followed him out.  
  
The rest of the gang followed them. The kids gave them some weapons and Buffy grabbed her dagger from her boot. They walked through the tunnels, Angel tracking the thing with his super sense of smell. Buffy looked back sadly at the kids. "They're just kids."  
  
"Strength in numbers." Angel said.  
  
"Angel.."  
  
"They just wanna strike back, Buffy, at something, anything. I know how they feel."  
  
"Didn't say I don't know how they feel. I just feel bad that they were brought into this so young. Younger than me when I started." Buffy said, looking at Matthew.  
  
"This is where Tommy got taken." Matthew said as they rounded and corner and came to a stop.  
  
"What's that smell?" Buffy asked.  
  
"It's ammonia." Angel said.  
  
Some creature made a growling sound and snatched Golden up into a vertical pipe. Angel leapt up into the pipe after him. After some noises that sounded like fighting were heard, Golden dropped down out of the pipe onto the floor. Holly went to his side. Angel jumped down out of the pipe in vampire face. Matthew saw it and ran away, frightened. "Matthew, it's ok!"  
  
"Matt!" One of the boys said.  
  
"Matthew!" Buffy yelled, running after him with Angel behind her.  
  
Fred screamed as something grabbed her. Angel turned and swung at whatever had grabbed Fred. The thing let go.  
  
Buffy turned and looked at Gunn. "If Matthew reaches the surface.."  
  
"We'll get him." Gunn said.  
  
"Right." Gunn grabbed Fred and they ran after Matt. Buffy turned around. "That thing is really pissin' me off. Lorne, Wes.."  
  
"Jawohl." Lorne said.  
  
"Where's Wes?" Angel asked. He looked around and then squatted to the floor, checking the area where Wes had been.  
  
"It got Wes?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"It must've looped around behind us." Buffy said. "It knows these tunnels better than we do. And it's fast. Look, Angel and I'll track it down. Lorne, take the others back to the fort. Wait for Gunn and Fred."  
  
"Ohh! If you insist." Lorne said.  
  
Golden and the others held wooden poles at Angel, Buffy, and Lorne. "Uh-uh, Dracula. Not ok. You think I didn't see that back there? You're one of 'em." Golden looked at Buffy. "And I don't know what the hell you are. You're probably a vamp just like him the way you were huggin' all up on him."  
  
"Uh, Golden, it's not like that." Angel said.  
  
"Yeah, she's telling the truth." Lorne said.  
  
"Excuse me. Not talkin' to horned demon, talkin' to vampires. Thank you."  
  
"All right, what you saw, yes, I can't deny that, but.." Angel said.  
  
"But he only drinks pig's blood!" Lorne said.  
  
"Lorne.."  
  
"Well, it's true! You gotta give an undead fella points for that, right, huh? I mean, unless you're into the whole kosher thing, but, I mean, you're not.. well, you don't look.." Golden pushed the weapon closer to Lorne's neck. "Ok, horned demon shutting up."  
  
"Look, I don't blame you for feelin' this way, but I'm not gonna justify my existence to you. I wouldn't be able to. But what I can do is take that spear away from you and snap it into kindling and break your neck in half the time it would take for you to give it a good push. Or you can step aside and let me go help my friend."  
  
"What are you?" Golden asked Buffy. "Are you a vampire too?"  
  
"God no! I'm what you call a Vampire Slayer. One girl in all the world..? Ever hear of it?" They started at her. "Slayer comma the. Look it up. But you poke me with that damn stick again and it's goin' where men named Bubba like to play."  
  
Angel smiled and looked at Lorne. "Fiery isn't she?"  
  
"She's a blaze." Lorne said.  
  
"Now, you gonna let us through so we can find our friend?" Buffy asked. "Or do I have to get rough?"  
  
"Trust me, she gets rough, someone here loses a limb."  
  
After a second, the kids lowered their weapons. Lorne led them back to their fort while Buffy and Angel went in search of Wesley and the demon. Angel smelled for Wesley's sent and finally picked it up. Buffy thought it reminded her of a bloodhound dog.  
  
"What it matters, eh?" The demon asked Wesley. "Eh, talky meat? I don't keep the name. High priest keep the name! And you about to go dead, about to be a smear on my flesh spell." It grabbed Wesley by the neck, choking him. "I just messenger from the ones who love truly."  
  
"Well, then.." Angel said. The demon turned his head to see that Buffy and Angel had just walked into the cave. "I guess it's time to shoot the messenger."  
  
"Or, you know, chop the messenger into little bitty pieces." Buffy said.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
The demon dropped Wesley and charged toward Buffy and Angel. Angel used the sword to his advantage while Buffy dove out of the way and went over to Wesley. "You ok?"  
  
"I'll be fine." Wesley said.  
  
A noise rang out next to Buffy and she turned to see the demon had thrown Angel across the room into the wall next to her. When Angel stood up again, the demon stabbed him through the gut with his sharp pincers. "Little mice. They always soft inside." Angel stabbed the demon's arm with his sword, cutting off a part of his pincer. "Wretched little.." The demon took the sword away from Angel. "Time to go dead, mouse." Buffy charged the demon with her dagger but the demon knocked her away into a corner. "Wait your turn, smallish baby! Stay in corner"  
  
While the demon was screaming at Buffy, Angel picked up the pincer he cut off the demon and stabbed the demon in the neck with it. The demon screamed in agony and fell to the floor. "Nobody puts Buffy in the corner." Angel helped Buffy to her feet.  
  
"You know your classic movies." Buffy said.  
  
"It was a great movie."  
  
"Devourer.. this meat.. I give.. unto thee." The demon said.  
  
"That creature, it came from a world that's worshipped Jasmine for millennia, a world that we can reach through this." Wesley said, holding up a glowing blue sphere.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked.  
  
"I think the universe just handed us our first break." Angel took the sphere from Wesley and inspected it. Wes told them what the demon had said to him about Jasmine and the world it had come from. "No inscriptions, no markings of any kind, no moving parts, far as I can tell."  
  
"So this high priest holds the true name?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Exactly."  
  
"What else do we know about him?" Angel asked.  
  
"I'm just guessing that he's bigger and meaner than our big, mean friend over there."  
  
"Wouldn't surprise me. What about.." Angel stopped and cocked his head. He obviously heard something in the distance. "Wes, something's going down."  
  
"Something?"  
  
"Something bad." Angel looked at Buffy and the look he gave her told her everything.  
  
"Connor." Buffy said.  
  
Buffy stayed with Wesley while Angel ran out to get the others. He had heard them yelling out in the sewers. Buffy looked over to see that Wesley was starting to pace. "What?"  
  
"I'm thinking. Hold on." Wes said.  
  
"Well think out loud!"  
  
"No words. No word magic."  
  
"Angel, it's Connor. He's here." Fred said t Angel as he and the rest of them walked in.  
  
"I know." Angel shut the door behind him.  
  
"And, uh, the National Guard, I think." Lorne said.  
  
"National Guard?" Buffy asked. A loud clang came from the door. Buffy rushed up and leaned against it.  
  
"No word magic.. powerless. Much more power in.. blood magic?" Wesley said. He touched a wound on his head then touched the bloody fingers to the sphere. The sphere glowed and sent out lightning bolts to open a portal nearby. "Angel, I got it!"  
  
"Ok, I'll hold this. You guys get going!" Angel said.  
  
"No. No! We can't go! Only you!"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"That thing's world, the atmosphere will kill us. We can't help there."  
  
"But.."  
  
"Someone who knows the truth has to live through this. Angel, that's you."  
  
Angel looked at Buffy struggling to hold the door shut. "I can't."  
  
"Hearts get in the way, right?" Fred asked.  
  
Buffy grabbed Angel's head and hauled his lips to her. "I love you. Now get gone. I promise I won't die."  
  
Angel stared at her a minute, then ran towards the portal. "Angel, wait!" Wesley called, tossing Angel the sphere. With one last look into Buffy's eyes, Angel walked into the portal.  
  
Buffy blinked back her tears and then turned back to the group. "We can't hold it."  
  
"Time for the big fight scene." Gunn said. He, Buffy, Wes, Lorne, and Fred tried to hold the door shut as Connor's forces continued pushing on it.  
  
"Count of 3." Buffy said. "1, 2.." Connor kicked down the door. He and his mob rushed into the room. They engaged Buffy, Wesley, Lorne, Gunn, and Fred in a huge fight using all manner of swords and such. Buffy didn't want to kill any humans, but in this case she didn't think she had a choice. So, with everything she had, she did her best to keep her promise to Angel. "I promise I won't die!" She screamed, letting her strength go and allowing the Slayer in her to take over. 


	71. Peace Out

Chapter 71  
  
Connor and his band of Jasmaniacs had finally located the room where Buffy, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and Lorne were hiding, and they were charged in fighting. Wesley and Gunn had taken loose pipes and used them as makeshift weapons against their attackers. Fred elbowed a man in the face. Lorne used his hockey stick to push an aggressor away. A man pointed a gun at Fred and cocked it. He didn't get the chance to fire because Buffy tackled him to the ground.  
  
"Buffy!" Fred yelled.  
  
The Slayer didn't hear her though. She was too busy beating the man under her to a bloody pulp. Everything about Buffy the person was gone and the Slayer had taken over completely. Anything that wasn't friend was killed or beaten into a coma. Behind her, Fred was pushed to the ground, and a man pointed a gun in her face. Another person knocked Lorne in the head, and Lorne fell to the ground. Buffy and Wesley were the only ones still fighting back. They were definitely holding their own against the attackers until Wesley was face-to-face with Connor. Connor knocked Wesley halfway across the room. When Wesley looked up, Connor was standing over him with a sword. Suddenly, just as Wesley was knocked into unconsciousness, Buffy tackled Connor. She prepared to swing, but then something about Connor made her stop. Then, Buffy the person kicked back into the driver's seat and Buffy pulled her hand away.  
  
"What are you doing Connor?" Buffy asked.  
  
He didn't answer. Instead, ten men came up and grabbed Buffy. They held her at bay as Connor stood up. Everyone was bound behind their backs and now they were kneeling in front of everyone. Connor knew he couldn't tie Buffy up without her getting lose. He had seen her break solid steel cables effortlessly. So, he had the men hold her. She struggled, but the more she did, the tighter the grips got on her skin and her left arm started to go numb from lack of blood.  
  
Connor paced in front of them. "What did you think you could do? Poison the whole city with your hate? Your tricks? Now I have no choice but to kill you."  
  
"Connor.." Buffy started, but the men tightened their grips. "Ow."  
  
"Shut up. All your talk about saving the world. Well.. now somebody's gone and done it. Made everything right.. and good. And you can't stand it because you're all so full of yourselves. Don't you get it? You're all alone now. All of you. You're the ones left out in the cold. You.. don't.. belong."  
  
"If belonging means following some bogus god and killing in her name, then you're damn right we don't." Gunn said.  
  
"I'm not listening to your lies."  
  
"Jasmine's the lie." Wesley said. "You've no idea what she is."  
  
"Yes, I do. She's mine." Connor raised the sword to strike.  
  
"Connor, wait." A man said in Jasmine's voice. "Bring them to me."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Has it become necessary to explain my wishes to you?"  
  
"No, just.."  
  
"Then be a sweet boy and bring them. Intact." Connor put down his sword. "Thank you, Connor."  
  
"Get up." Connor said to the group.  
  
They were led out to a large containment van that looked similar to the one Buffy remembered being put in while she was in Faith's body. The van rumbled to a start and Buffy looked at Wesley. "I'm sorry about all of this."  
  
"It's ok. You were right to make us see." Wesley said.  
  
"I meant, I'm sorry I didn't kill Connor."  
  
"Why would you do that?"  
  
"It's a way to get to Jasmine. Kill her father.. Kill part of her."  
  
"It wouldn't have done anything but gotten us killed." Gunn said. "Jasmine woulda just had the National Guard kill us."  
  
"I was doing a pretty damn good number on them until I had to take on Connor. I just.. I can't bring myself to kill him. I carried him for nine months, went through all the pain of giving birth to him, and it was all just to bring Jasmine into this world."  
  
"At least we get to live, right?" Fred asked.  
  
"I wouldn't call this living, Fred. Maybe you guys could call it living, but.. You'll never know how bad it hurts to give up that love."  
  
"Of course we do." Wesley said.  
  
"She means giving up Connor." Lorne said. "It's obvious that he doesn't want her or Angel anymore. Connor's got Jasmine now."  
  
Buffy looked down at the floor. "Maybe Angel was right in the first place. Maybe we should've stopped Connor from coming into this world. Then we wouldn't be here."  
  
"You would've been even more miserable because you wouldn't have known if Connor was going to be good or not." Fred said.  
  
"No more miserable than I am now. I would've still had Angel. Now, he's gone and I may never see him again and my son.. I don't have one anymore." Tears fell to the metal floor and Lorne scooted closer to Buffy. She laid her head down on his shoulder and cried.  
  
When they arrived at the hotel, they were led upstairs to Jasmine's room. A small crowd of followers left her room as Connor brought them in. They were still bloodied from their battle in the sewers. Jasmine observed them. "So much pain, suffering.. must hurt so terribly."  
  
"Don't get all gloaty. Not the worst beating we've ever taken." Gunn said.  
  
"I meant the pain you've caused yourselves.. letting go of me."  
  
"Oh, by giving up absolute tranquility and perfect happiness? No loss. Right, guys?" Lorne said. "Guys?"  
  
"I only wish it was within my power to take you back."  
  
"Nobody asked." Buffy said.  
  
Jasmine looked over at Buffy and noticed the tear tracks on her cheeks. "Where's Angel?"  
  
"You're omniscient. You tell us." Connor backhanded Buffy in the face. She barely flinched.  
  
"Connor, please. I don't want to see that."  
  
"The creature in the sewer. You recognized it, didn't you?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Just another one of your zealots?"  
  
"A sentient, living being wanting what's best for his own. Is that so wrong? A few millennia ago, his world was not unlike yours. Full of hatred and fear, wars scarring its landscape."  
  
"Until, let me guess, you came along and made it a paradise." Gunn said.  
  
"Well, as much of a paradise as one could with a bunch of insects to work with. I helped them along. Kicked their evolution up a few ticks."  
  
"And how'd that work out for 'em?" Lorne asked.  
  
"It was a trial run, an early experiment to work out the bugs, so to speak. I won't make that mistake again. I know where Angel is, and I know what he's looking for. He's wasting his time."  
  
"If you really believed that, you'd have killed us already." Buffy said.  
  
"Patience."  
  
"Yes, ma'am?" A girl asked, walking into the room.  
  
"The news people have started to arrive. Please ask them to set up in the lobby. I'll be ready to speak with them after I've eaten."  
  
"Mm-hmm." Patience walked out.  
  
"So it's time, is it?" Wesley asked.  
  
"Time for what?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Too much trouble conquering a primitive dimension, wasn't it, Jasmine? Or whatever your name is. Must be nice for you that we have satellites to beam your message to the rest of the world."  
  
"You're not wrong." Jasmine said.  
  
"Oh, God." Fred said. "Connor, you can't let her do this. She'll enslave everyone."  
  
"She'll bring them together." Connor said.  
  
"You don't.. She's not what she pretends to be! She's.."  
  
"A monster." Buffy finished.  
  
"Yeah. Cordy's blood that we put in you, it was supposed to break the spell. Show you what she really looks like."  
  
"I know what she looks like. She's beautiful." Connor said, looking at Jasmine.  
  
"Gentlemen, please show our guests to their accommodations." Jasmine said.  
  
Guards escorted Buffy, Wesley, Gunn, Fred, and Lorne out of the room. Wesley looked at Jasmine. "Save us the euphemisms. We're bargaining chips to keep Angel quiet."  
  
"Quiet about what?" Connor asked.  
  
Buffy didn't hear the rest. She and the others were taken down to the basement and put in the cage they had used for Angelus. Connor closed them inside the cage and started to walk away, but Lorne called after him, "I just gotta know one thing. The reason our little blood ritual didn't raise any veils for you. You've always seen Jasmine's true appearance, haven't you?"  
  
"You gotta be kidding me." Gunn said. "You know what maggot-face looks like, and you're still big with the worship?"  
  
Connor glared at Buffy. "I grew up in Quor-Toth, a hell dimension full of all sorts of things you can't even imagine. So, you know, appearance? Not that important to me."  
  
"What is important to you, Connor?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not us, apparently. Or his own parents." Gunn said.  
  
"What about Cordelia?" Fred asked. "She needs help, medical attention. I mean, who knows what that coma's doing to her?"  
  
"She's fine." Connor said.  
  
"Are you sure? Have you checked on her? Connor, if you don't care for her, then.."  
  
"She isn't.. she's been moved."  
  
"Moved? What do you mean?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Someplace safe, OK? She's taken care of, so just quit.."  
  
"Connor, what does Jasmine eat?" Wesley asked.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The creature in the sewer. It called her the 'devourer.' Devourer of what?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"Don't you? The followers she randomly chooses to come to her room. The ones she sent to meet her in the banquet hall."  
  
"They're the banquet." Lorne said.  
  
"Wait." Gunn said. "People? She eats people?"  
  
"Oh no." Fred said.  
  
"'To Serve Man.' It's 'To Serve Man' all over again."  
  
"And now she's going global."  
  
"You don't think Cordy's.."  
  
"I hope not, but we really have no way of knowing, do we?" Wes said, looking over at Connor.  
  
Connor didn't respond. He turned abruptly and walked up the stairs, leaving them unattended. Buffy snorted. "I know I taught him better than that."  
  
"Be glad you didn't." Gunn said.  
  
Lorne sat down. "Well, I'm just going to get comfortable. I have this nagging feeling we're going to be here for a while."  
  
Buffy sat with her back against a wall, arm propped up on her knee, and stared at the wall that she and Angelus had had sex on. Things seemed so much better back then compared to this. Even if she had been really evil. She didn't know exactly how long they had been stuck down here, but it had been a heck of a long time. Wesley stood, leaning against the wall, Lorne was still sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, Fred was pacing nervously in the corner, and Gunn was kicking the door to the cage. He had been at it for a while.  
  
"I mean, starting not to look so good for us. Not that I'm giving up or anything." Fred said.  
  
Gunn kicked the door again and Lorne glared. "You can stop that anytime now."  
  
"I will.." Gunn said with a kick to the door. "Just as soon as somebody comes up with a better idea.." Kick. "To get us out of here. Or the Slayer decides to get up and kick it down with her super strength."  
  
"And then what, Gunn?" Buffy asked. "The anti-Jasmine crowd's about to become a staggering minority on this planet."  
  
"Yeah, well, first things.." Kick. "First. We'll worry about that when the time comes."  
  
"Bell's rung, babe. Time's come." Lorne said.  
  
"Weird.. Connor walking out like that, you know? Leaving us unguarded." Fred said.  
  
"Yeah. If he's not careful, we might move about freely in our impervious 10 by 9 steel cage." Buffy said bitterly.  
  
"Maybe we were getting to him." Gunn suggested.  
  
"More than likely, her godliness summoned him for a little tender-lovin.." Lorne started.  
  
"Blood." Wesley said.  
  
"Is that some kind of ritual she has him doing?" Buffy asked. "Cause.. Ew."  
  
"What? Oh, no, I was just thinking. Cordelia's blood, it had the same power as Jasmine's to break the thrall she had over us."  
  
"So I figured. Mother and daughter, they share the same blood."  
  
"And now she's been moved.. Why?"  
  
"Guess so people like us don't use Cordy's blood against Jasmine." Gunn said.  
  
"There are no people like us. Not anymore. We're it. She had us on the run. And if Cordelia's so dangerous to her, why not kill her and be done with it?"  
  
Buffy caught on. "Because maybe she can't."  
  
"Exactly. I think Jasmine may be dependent on Cordelia. She can't hurt her, not without hurting herself. But maybe Cordelia can hurt Jasmine."  
  
"That's a whole lot of maybes." Gunn said.  
  
"Maybe, but if I'm right, Cordelia might be our only hope to stop Jasmine."  
  
"If we can wake her up." Lorne said.  
  
"Wake her?" Fred asked. "We have to find her first."  
  
"No, we have to get out of here first." Gunn said, resuming his kicks on the door.  
  
Upstairs, the crowd cheered in the lobby. Fred looked up. "What's that?"  
  
"Jasmine's world debut, I expect." Wesley said.  
  
"So.. we're alone. It's just us now." Buffy said.  
  
"That's all, folks." Lorne said.  
  
A familiar presence startled Buffy's senses and she closed her eyes, willing herself to ignore the other's banter. She pushed away all of the noises from the basement and listened intently upstairs. Angel's voice floated to her. She couldn't understand what he said, but Jasmine didn't like it one bit. Suddenly, screams sounded just after a loud hissing noise.  
  
"What in the hell is goin' on up there?" Lorne asked.  
  
"It didn't sound good. I don't know what.." Fred said.  
  
Gunn kicked the door. "I'll tell you what it was. The devourer chowing down." Kick. "And I bet you we're dessert."  
  
"Gunn, will you stop wasting your.."  
  
Buffy cut Wesley off when she jumped to her feet and grabbed the bars on the door. Summoning all of her strength, she ripped the lock in half and swung the door open. "Let's go."  
  
They ran upstairs and searched the place. A few people were running out of the building, but nobody significant. Buffy knew Angel was back and she took off out the door. No one saw her leave though. Gunn walked into the lobby and found the others waiting there. Wesley looked at him. "Find anyone?"  
  
"We got ourselves a ghost hotel." Gunn said.  
  
"Garden's empty. This is incredibly creepy." Fred said.  
  
"Only in a post-apocalyptic 'Night of the Comet' kind of way." Lorne said.  
  
"Do you think they're all.."  
  
"Dead?" Lorne held a remote control. "Dead air. TV stations going off line. Something big went down."  
  
Gunn picked up a decapitated head. "Yeah. And here's its head."  
  
"Angel." Wesley said.  
  
"You sure?" Fred asked.  
  
"Buffy, can you sense.. Buffy?" Wesley looked around. "Where's Buffy?" 


	72. Peace Out part 2, Home

Chapter 72  
  
Buffy ran through the streets. She was using her connection to Angel to find him. She found him walking down a street, obviously searching for someone. "Angel!" He stopped. "Angel!" Angel turned. "Oh my God! Buffy! You're alive."  
  
Buffy ran into his arms. He caught her and lifted her off the ground in a tremendous hug complete with kisses. "Oh God. I was so scared! I thought that I wouldn't get to ever see you again. And we were locked in the basement and when I heard the screaming, I thought we were going to die, but I didn't want to die! I don't want to die Angel. I want to be alive and be with you." She kissed him frantically. "Don't ever leave me again! Please, don't leave me ever again."  
  
"I won't. I promise I won't leave you." Angel said, holding Buffy tightly.  
  
"God." She kissed him passionately. "We have to talk.."  
  
Angel looked down the street. "Jasmine."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We have to find her."  
  
"Then we'll talk?"  
  
"Then we'll talk." He took her hand and led her down to an overpass. Jasmine stood there in the middle of the road as cars passed. "Jasmine, it's over. You've lost."  
  
"I've lost? Do you have any idea what you've done?" Jasmine asked.  
  
"What I had to do."  
  
"No. No, Angel. There are no absolutes. No right and wrong. Haven't you learned anything working for the Powers? There are only choices. I offered paradise. You chose this!"  
  
"Because I could. Because that's what you took away from us. Choice."  
  
"And look what free will has gotten you."  
  
"Hey, I didn't say we were smart. I said it's our right. It's what makes us human."  
  
"But you're not human."  
  
"He's working on it." Buffy said. Jasmine turned to walk away. "Where you going?"  
  
"Leave me alone."  
  
"Sorry, but.. We can't do that." Angel said.  
  
"What? You've taken everything. You're gonna try to kill me now, as if you could."  
  
"Maybe not. But I'll die before I let you hurt anyone else."  
  
"You're already dead!"  
  
"You know what I mean. It ends right here."  
  
"Why do you hate me so much?"  
  
"Let's run down the list, huh? Rain of fire, blotting out the sun, enslaving mankind, and, yeah, oh, yeah, hey, you eat people!"  
  
"Like you never have?"  
  
"Thousands of people are dead because of what you've done." Buffy said.  
  
"And how many will die because of you two? I could've stopped it. All of it. War, disease, poverty. How many precious, beautiful lives would've been saved in a handful of years? Yes, I murdered thousands to save billions." Jasmine walked to the edge of the bridge. "This world is doomed to drown in its own blood now."  
  
"The price was too high, Jasmine. Our fate has to be our own, or we're nothing." Angel said.  
  
"Like me?"  
  
"Look, we've all done horrible things. All we can do is try and make up for it. So, ok, you know, it's not the world that you wanted, but maybe you can still help us make it better, even if you have lost your powers."  
  
"Not all of them." Jasmine grabbed Buffy and threw her over the over pass.  
  
"BUFFY!" Angel jumped after her. He caught her before she hit and turned so he shielded her body with his. They landed on a car and Buffy rolled off Angel painfully, laying beside him on the hood. The driver of the car was out of his vehicle and staring at them.  
  
"Run." Buffy said.  
  
"Think the price was too high?" Jasmine yelled. "You haven't begun to pay!" She threw a station wagon over the bridge. Angel threw Buffy away from him and then jumped away from the car. The station wagon snapped a power line before crashing into the street and exploding. Jasmine jumped off the bridge, landed on her feet, and walked menacingly toward Angel. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I can still make this world a better place." Jasmine punched Angel across the street. "One body at a time. I loved this world. I sacrificed everything I was to be with you."  
  
"So you could rule us?" Angel asked, glancing at Buffy. She was struggling to get up.  
  
"Because I cared. The other Powers don't. Never really did. You know that's true in your heart. Shame now I gotta rip it out." Jasmine reached for Angel, but he grabbed the end of the power line and electrocuted Jasmine with the live end. The electricity sent her back a few feet, but didn't hurt her. She walked back toward Angel. "I was forged in the inferno of creation, vampire. Do you really think a little electricity would destroy me?"  
  
"Worth a shot." Angel punched Jasmine, but she was unfazed. She picked him up and threw him into a lamp post, snapping it in two. Jasmine walked over to Angel who was crawling on the ground coughing.  
  
Buffy staggered to her feet and watched Jasmine corner Angel.  
  
"Remember the prophecy, Angel? The one that says in the time of the apocalypse, you'd play a major part? How you never knew whether you'd be on the side of good or evil? Well, now you know." Jasmine grabbed Angel's face. "Thanks to you, this frail, little Power That Was has just enough strength in her to wipe out your whole species. And it's all on your hands."  
  
Angel punched her. "This isn't my fault!" She grabbed his throat. "Go to hell."  
  
"You first, baby." Jasmine forced him into a kiss.  
  
Buffy screamed savagely and attacked Jasmine, going into a full on cat fight. She clawed at Jasmine's face and neck. "THAT'S MY HUSBAND! I'm tired of everyone trying to take him from me!" Buffy punched Jasmine several times, before Jasmine threw her away. It didn't really stop Buffy. She landed in a crouching position and went for Jasmine again. When the Slayer was pissed off, it was really hard to put her down. Jasmine was starting to get that as Buffy kicked her in the face and sent her flying back. "I was HAPPY!" Buffy screamed, letting out her frustrations. "Thing's were perfect until you messed them up!" She punched Jasmine mercilessly. "You took advantage of me! You violated MY body as well as Cordelia's." Punch. "You used me! No body has ever used me like you have!" Punch, kick, punch. "You're right. I do hate you!" Buffy delivered a vicious kick, but Jasmine grabbed her ankle before the kick could reach her.  
  
"That's too bad." Jasmine turned her arms and twirled Buffy's leg. The pressure was too much and Buffy's whole body twirled, landing on her back and getting the air completely knocked out of her. Jasmine leaned over her and whispered. "You're nothing but a little bug in this world. You have no idea what's out there little girl."  
  
Buffy kicked up into Jasmine's stomach and the goddess went flying back. Buffy flipped to her feet. "I recall another god telling me the exact same thing. Can you guess how she ended up?"  
  
"Dead." Connor said behind them.  
  
Buffy, Angel, and Jasmine all turned. "Connor."  
  
Jasmine stepped away from Buffy. "Connor, I still have you. Angel's ruined everything. But they can't can't defeat both of us. You still believe in me, don't you? You still love me?"  
  
"Yes." Connor punched Jasmine in the head so hard that his fist went right through her skull. Jasmine's body dropped to the ground with a wet thud.  
  
Angel limped over a little, but Buffy had to hold him up. "Connor.. It's ok. It's over." Connor looked up at Angel. "Look, I know this is difficult for you. I'm just.. I'm just happy to have you. We both are." Connor walked away. Angel tried in vain to follow him. "Connor. Connor? Connor. Connor!" Connor was gone. Buffy hadn't even tried to go after him. Angel turned to her. "What's going on?"  
  
"I told you we need to talk." Buffy said.  
  
Weakly, Angel stumbled in through the front door with Buffy holding him up. The rest of the gang was in the office. When they heard them come in, they all went out to the lobby. "Angel! Buffy!" Fred said. She noticed the looks on the two warriors faces. Buffy had filled Angel in on Connor and what she had suspected all along.  
  
"Jasmine's dead. I brought back her name and her powers were destroyed." Angel said. "Connor killed her."  
  
"Connor?"  
  
"Um, there's something.." Wesley started.  
  
"We've never seen him like this. He wasn't hurt or angry, he just.. killed her. And his face, it.. it was just blank, like he had nothing left." Angel said.  
  
"Angel, you really.."  
  
"I've got a bad feeling. Buffy even told me she's had a bad feeling too. He's just.. given up. I think he's gonna do something. You know, he might.."  
  
"End world peace?" Buffy and Angel looked over to see Lilah standing in the office doorway. "Well, you already took care of that. Congratulations."  
  
"Lilah...." Angel said.  
  
"Angel. What's the matter, ace? Didn't think you were the only one who ever got to come back from hell around here, did you? Speaking of which, could I possibly get some ice water?"  
  
"What are you doing here, Lilah?" Buffy asked.  
  
"She's not here. It's not her. It can't be." Wesley said.  
  
"There's a signed dollar in your wallet that says different." Lilah said.  
  
"It's a lie."  
  
"-lah. It's a 'Lilah.'" Lilah looked at Angel. "You're the one with the preternatural senses. You tell him."  
  
"It's true Wes. It's her." Angel said.  
  
"But.... how? She was dead." Fred said.  
  
"She's still dead."  
  
"Vampire?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Eww. Please. Angelus drank from me, true. But, like with most men, it was a one way street I was dead already. Besides, my Wesley made sure I'd be spared.... just in case." Lilah tugged at her collar, revealing the scar from her recent decapitation. Wesley recoiled from the sight. Lilah smiled at him with true tenderness. "It's okay, lover. I never felt a thing."  
  
"I'm sure that's true." Wesley said.  
  
"I don't get this. If she ain't alive and she ain't a vampire.... what in the hell is she?" Gunn asked.  
  
"I'm just a messenger. That's all. They'll be sending me straight back to hell once I'm finished here." Lilah said.  
  
"Who's they?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Wolfram & Hart." Angel said. "The contract she signed with them extends beyond her death."  
  
"Standard perpetuity clause, I'm afraid. Always read the fine print." Lilah said.  
  
"What's your game, Lilah?"  
  
"No game. In fact, game over. Guess what? You win. Which is why I'm here. I have been authorized to make you kids an offer."  
  
"You can't possibly think there's anything we'd want from you." Buffy said.  
  
"I don't think you'll want it.... but you'll take it. Because this is the offer of a lifetime. Just not, you know, mine." Everyone paused. "You get Wolfram and Hart. No strings." Lilah sat on the sofa, waiting, a look of expectation on her face. Everyone else stared at her, more or less frozen in place. No one spoke for a very long beat. Finally, Gunn broke the silence.  
  
"You want to run that by us one more time?"  
  
"What was unclear?"  
  
"I think the part where you offered us Wolfram & Hart." Buffy said.  
  
"Just the L.A. branch."  
  
"'Just the L.A. branch.'" Lorne mimicked. "Hi, from another dimension. What the hell does that mean?"  
  
"It means we give. You win. We're moving out. The Senior Partners are ceding this territory to you and to prove it, they want to give you controlling interests in our L.A. office. You get the building, assets, personnel, letterhead, paperclips, all of it. It's yours to do with as you see fit."  
  
"But there is no Los Angeles office of Wolfram & Hart. The Beast destroyed it." Buffy said. "Oh, it's back. Re-staffed and zombie-free. We're bigger, better and shinier than ever. And we want to give it to you."  
  
"You want to give us your evil law firm.? We ain't lawyers!" Gunn said.  
  
"Or evil." Fred added. She looked at Buffy and Angel. "Currently."  
  
"What we're offering you is a turn-key, state-of-the-art, multitasking operation. What you do with it.... well, that's up to you." Lilah said.  
  
"Why?" Angel asked.  
  
"I thought that was obvious. You've earned it. Think of it as a reward."  
  
"Reward for what?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Ending world peace. We were really on the precipice there. I mean, a bona fide goddess incarnates, is inches from eliminating all violence, hate and litigation from the planet, and you six, with an assist from sonny boy, manage to undo it all. Way to go."  
  
"That's not what happened."  
  
"No?"  
  
"Jasmine was creating a slave state." Wesley said.  
  
"Right. Where the slaves are full of giggly joy and love. Ugh. What a nightmare."  
  
"She was eating people." Angel said.  
  
"They knew what they were getting into."  
  
"Her stomach?" Lorne asked.  
  
"World peace comes at a price. Jasmine understood that. She consumed, what? A couple dozen souls a day? Now weigh that against ending the suffering of millions. But you fixed that."  
  
"No we didn't! I mean we did, we fixed it, but not in the way you're trying to make it sound." Fred said.  
  
"Jeez, it's not like it was a criticism." Lilah headed for the door. "Anyway, I'm dead and running late. Think about our proposal. If anyone's interested and wants the grand tour, there'll be a limo waiting outside just before dawn. And hey.... good job." She smiled and then walked out.  
  
"We ended a nefarious global domination scheme, not world peace. Right?" 


	73. Home part 2

Chapter 73  
  
Angel sat in front of Buffy allowing her to cleand the already-healing wounds tape bandages over them. They looked up as Lorne entered from the solarium. Wesley and Gunn came out of the office to hear what he has to say.  
  
"You're back. Anything?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Oh, plenty, just not anything on Connor or Cordelia. I'm not saying we ended world peace or anything, kids, but it's a mess out there. And considering the banner year we've had, that's up against some pretty stiff competition." Lorne said.  
  
"What have you got?" Angel asked Wes.  
  
"Not much more than you left me with, I'm afraid. The truth is, if Connor doesn't want to be found...." Wes said.  
  
"We'll find him." Angel cut in. "We won't stop until we find them both. We'll do whatever it takes."  
  
"Okay. Well, don't you think maybe we should consider...." Gunn said.  
  
Angel wheeled on Gunn. "Consider what, Gunn? What should we consider?"  
  
Gunn backed down. "Working outward in an ever-expanding perimeter?"  
  
Angel took Buffy's hand and looked around. "You want to get in that limo when it gets here, that's up to you. It's not a decision I can make for you. For any of you. But know this: before the ride's even over, before you even cross through their doors, you'll be corrupted." He and Buffy started to leave.  
  
"Where are you heading off to?" Wes asked.  
  
"We're going to go find our son. See if we can get lucky, pick up his trail."  
  
Angel and Buffy walked out into the night. Neither of them were extremely happy at the moment. Buffy had beat the crap out of Jasmine and released all her frustrations through her fists and feet. Then it hit her that she and Angel hadn't talked.  
  
"Angel...."  
  
"If this is about the Wolfram and Hart thing, I don't really want to hear it." Angel said.  
  
"Don't talk to me like that."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"And no, it's not about that. It's about Connor."  
  
"Connor?"  
  
"He's not happy."  
  
"Of course he isn't. Look at what's happening.... What's happened to him."  
  
"No, he knew all along what Jasmine was."  
  
Angel stopped. "What?"  
  
"Come on." Buffy led Angel to an all night diner and they took a booth in the back, facing each other.  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Connor knew Angel. He saw her true face and he still.... He blames us for everything." Angel looked grief stricken. "It came as a surprise to me too. He didn't have to tell me he blames us.... it's in the way he looks at us. I'm convinced part of him loves us, but he doesn't know how to love. He grew up in a hell dimension and it.... it destroyed my little boy. Our son." Angel stared at her, questioning her resoning.  
  
Buffy decided to tell him what had happened while he was gone. It took most of the night to tell because she added in little things from the past that hinted at her logic. By the time she was finished, dawn was almost there. Buffy looked into Angel's eyes, finishing her story. "Maybe taking this Wolfram and Hart deal can help Connor."  
  
Angel didn't want to admit it, but he knew his wife was right. "The others are going to take the deal too."  
  
"I figured as much." Buffy looked at her watch and then outside at the predawn sky. "I think we need to get going before the sun comes up. The limo's waiting."  
  
The two walked silently up to the front gate of the Hyperion and saw Wes, Fred, and Gunn standing there. Wesley was saying to the others, "Go into this with our eyes open and our wits about us, there shouldn't be any...."  
  
"Surprises?" Buffy asked.  
  
Angel took her hand and headed towards the limo. "What the hell?" He opened the back door and music blasted out from inside where Lorne sat, drinking and munching on snacks.  
  
"So it's an evil limo. I get that. Does that mean we don't restock the cherries?" Lorne looked up. "Hi."  
  
They all piled in. Buffy and Angel got the head seats while Lorne, Wes, Gunn, and Fred stretched out on the sides. Buffy scooted closer to Angel so they could have some privacy. "Angel?"  
  
He looked at her. "I'm nervous too, don't worry."  
  
"I'm not. I mean, I am nervous, but...." She reached inside her pocket and pulled out the Gem of Amara, slipping it on Angel's middle finger and held his hand. "I was scared to give it back to you because I was terrified that if Angelus came back and you had it.... I wouldn't be able to kill him. But now I'm not scared and I want you to have it back. Especially now that we're doing this thing with Wolfram and Hart. I don't want to be caught off guard and end up losing you somehow."  
  
Angel brought her hands up to his lips and kissed every knuckle and then kissed her gently. "Thank you. Buffy, you have no idea how proud I am of you. You've been through everything in the past few months and you've held out. Look at you. You're still standing. You're a Slayer, but you've gone above and beyond the call of duty and you've done things no other Slayer could ever imagine."  
  
Buffy blushed and settled down to lay her head on Angel's shoulder. Twenty minutes later, the elevator opened with a muted ding to reveal a vast open atrium, bustling with attorneys and admin personnel, all criss-crossing in front of them as they went about their work. A huge W&H dominated the lobby. The people closest to Angel all greeted him and Buffy cheerily as they pass. "Mr. Angel, good morning. Morning, Mrs. Summers. Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Summers. How are you this morning, Mrs. Summers? Mr. Angel?"  
  
Buffy looked at Angel. "There's no way this is gonna go well."  
  
They looked over as the crowd parted before Lilah as she strode purposefully across the lobby toward Buffy and Angel. Following her were four Wolfram & Hart employees: a beautiful super-model type, an older distinguished Englishman, a science geek in a lab coat, and a slick talent agent. Lilah smiled. "Well, you all made it. What a shock. We've got a lot of ground to cover, so we best get started. Let me introduce you to your guides."  
  
"Guides? Separate guides?" Angel asked, taking Buffy's hand and moving her closer to him protectively.  
  
"Of course. There are six of you, all with specific interests, unique areas of expertise. It seemed the most efficient way of doing this. Prioritize and personalize."  
  
"Divide and conquer, you mean." Buffy said.  
  
"Oh, you're so cynical! See? This is going to work out great."  
  
"We don't split up. We came here together, we take the tour together. Right guys?" Angel asked.  
  
Gunn eyed the super model. "Do I get her?"  
  
"Look, if we'd wanted to harm you, we would've blown up the limo, right?" Lilah asked. On cue from Lilah, a security guard rolled in a cart filled with heavy assault weapons. "If you prefer to be armed during your stay here, we'd have no objections. Just because we've tried to kill or corrupt each and every one of you at one time or another doesn't mean we can't be trusted."  
  
"She's right." Wesley said. "We've made deals with them before. They are honorable in their way. I doubt we'll be in any danger."  
  
"Well, she was right about the limo." Lorne said.  
  
"Do I get her?" Gunn asked again, still eyeing the super model.  
  
Fred walked to the cart, lifted off a full-auto H&K MP-5, slapped in a magazine, and chambered a round. "I think we'll be okay."  
  
"Lorne, Preston will show you around our Entertainment Division." Lilah said.  
  
Preston pumped Lorne's hand enthusiastically and handed him a portfolio. "Hi. Big fan. Huge. Love your work. I had this prepared. Confidential list. Peepers only. Thought you might want to take a gander at our roster. Just a rundown of some of the talent we represent here."  
  
"No, no, I don't think you have to tell me what you represent here, young man." Lorne said. "I know. Evil. Pure evil and...." Lorne glanced at the roster. "Which is also apparently everyone I've always wanted to meet!"  
  
"Follow me."  
  
Lorne and Preston walked off and Lilah turned back to the group. "Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, Rutherford Sirk. I think you'll find you two have a lot in common."  
  
"Pleasure. Shall we?" Sirk said, leading Wesley off.  
  
Lilah brought the super model over to Gunn. "Charles Gunn, Lacey Shepard. I think you'll find you two have nothing in common."  
  
"This way, Chuck." Lacey said.  
  
"You're not going to try to corrupt me, are you?" Gunn asked.  
  
"Wouldn't dream of it."  
  
"We'll have to work on that." Then they were gone.  
  
Lilah went to Fred. "Knox, Fred Burkle."  
  
Fred awkwardly juggled the submachine gun so she could shake Knox's hand. "Hi."  
  
"Knox is the star of our Science Division."  
  
"Oh. Nice to meet you."  
  
"You, too. Well. this should be fun." Knox said.  
  
"Yeah." Then those two were gone.  
  
Buffy looked around. There was no one left but her, Angel, and Lilah. "Well, what do you know."  
  
"Yep. Just you two and me. I figured you wouldn't allow yourselves to be seperated. Come on. Let me show you two around the Chocolate Factory." Lilah said. She led them down a hall to a large door. The door opened to reveal a huge room full of a mass aray of weapons. All of them shone like they were new, but Buffy knew better. There were two swords that stood out that she knew were from 16th century France.  
  
"Oh my God." Buffy said as she walked up and fingered the blades. "These are in mint condition. You can't find these anywhere!" She moved over to a set of three point swords. She picked them up and twirled them like and expert. "Nice weight." She threw one and it embedded itself in the door next to Lilah's head, slamming it shut and making Angel give her a slight grin. "Wow. Great wind resistance too. Perfect for throwing."  
  
"I thought this would make you happy." Lilah said. "You're the head of the weapons department. Any weapon that comes through here or that's just been discovered, you have first say if it's worthy enough for you and your friends. You decide if it should be destroyed or if it gets to go through the works to make it sparkle and go into battle."  
  
Buffy raised her eyebrows. "All of these are mine?"  
  
Lilah pulled the sword out of the door. "To do with as you see fit. Hell, you could have a spell put on all of them so everytime you killed a demon with one of these weapons, your name would be on the corpse so everyone knows who killed the thing and they stay scared of you."  
  
"You can do that!?" Buffy cleared her throat. "I mean, why would I do that? They're dead. It's not like I'm going to display the corpse like some weirdo warrior."  
  
"Whatever you say. Now, it's time to show you two your office."  
  
"Our office?" Angel asked.  
  
"Yeah. What, you two thought you were going to have seperate offices? Please. You're the most inseperable people I have ever met. Besides, what's better for a happily married couple than their own private office? The desk is solid, don't worry. We know what happened to that table of Angel's on that day tha wasn't supposed to be."  
  
"How do you....?"  
  
"We know everything here. You think something like that would skip attention?" Lilah lead Buffy and Angel down a hallway that resonated with wealth and power. "Money. Clothes. Did I mention we have a juice bar?"  
  
"This is what you came back from the dead for? To play Let's Make an Evil Deal?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Show them what's behind door number one, Bob." Lilah opened the door and stepped in with Buffy and Angel. Every possible amenity. There was even a private elevator. "I know it's not much but the Taj Mahal was a bit of a commute."  
  
"What, are we supposed to swoon? It's an office." Angel said.  
  
"With your own private elevator. Care to take it for a spin?"  
  
"What's it going to do, huh? Drop me in a vat of holy water?"  
  
"You know, I was pushing for it but they went with the motor pool. Figured you'd like to stay mobile, what with all that rushing out to save the day you two're so fond of."  
  
"Thanks, but we already have two cars."  
  
"Now you have twelve."  
  
"What are we going to do with twelve cars?!" Buffy asked.  
  
"Anything you want. That's the point or haven't you been listening?"  
  
"We have and.... we're done now." Angel said, tugging on Buffy's hand. Buffy didn't budge, she stood firm. Angel started to ask what she was doing, but Lilah cut him off.  
  
"I forgot to show you the best part. You're going to love this." She picked up a remote from the desk and pushed a button. The drapes covering a set of bay windows slid open and bathed Buffy and Angel in blazing sunlight. He didn't even flinch, just held up his hand and displayed the ring. "Necro-tempered glass. The whole building's fitted with it. Helps keep those uplifting wholesome rays from charbroiling the boss. And 30% more energy efficient. Go ahead, take the ring off. Feels even better when you're naked. I could turn around if you two...."  
  
"Close it." Angel said.  
  
"I promise I won't peek. Well, maybe just a skosh."  
  
"Close it Lilah."  
  
She hit the remote and the room descended into darkness again. "Goodbye, Mr. Sunshine. Hello, gloomy avenger."  
  
"Make that goodbye. I'm not taking the job."  
  
"It's not a job. It's an opportunity."  
  
"Oh, an opportunity to be part of the problem?"  
  
"If that's what you choose."  
  
"Really don't."  
  
"Again, your choice. But think of what you two could do with the resources of Wolfram & Hart at your finger tips. The difference that would make. Nothing in this world is the way it ought to be. It's harsh and it's cruel but that's why there's you two, Angel. You live as if the world were as it should be. With all this you guys can make it that way. People don't need an unyielding champion. They need a someone who knows the value of compromise and how to beat the system from inside the belly of the beast."  
  
"The beast's belly.... doesn't that usually mean you've been eaten?"  
  
"Maybe. But while you've been namby-pambying around for the last 90 seconds, six innocent people have died. Oh, don't worry. There's always 6,000 more just around the corner. Or up the coast." Lilah took a file out of the desk drawer and handed it to Angel as Buffy examined the desk and computer. He glanced at the label, then looked up sharply at Lilah.  
  
"Sunnydale." He took an ornate amulet out of the folder and examined it.  
  
"That nifty little bauble comes with the file. Apparently it's crucial for some kind of 'final battle.' Guess they're in short supply up Sunnydale way. Bit gauche for my taste but hey...." Lilah glanced at Buffy. "Not a Slayer."  
  
"Faith can handle herself. So can Buffy."  
  
"But isn't it more fun when you handle her?" Lilah asked, looking at Buffy.  
  
Buffy looked up from the picture frame she was holding at the comment Lilah made. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Keep the intel. Not interested." Angel said, handing the folder to Lilah.  
  
"Not in this case. So how about open homicides? Missing persons? I knew there had to be a reason you took the tour. Dead, not stupid." Lilah said.  
  
"What do you know?"  
  
"About where Cordelia and your son are? Not a thing. But you can find out in about 10 seconds. All you gotta do is pick up the phone. Boss."  
  
"I'm sorry for what happened to you, Lilah. I really am. Me, Buffy, and my friends will be leaving now."  
  
"I'm not leaving." Buffy said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I'm staying here. I want to accept the deal."  
  
Lilah made a face. "I knew there was a reason I liked you."  
  
"Buffy...."  
  
"No. You're not going to make this decision for me." Buffy took the file from Lilah. "This could help us defeat the First Angel and you're throwing it away because of the people giving it to us?"  
  
The phone rang and Lilah picked it up. "Yes? Of course." She hung up. "The Senior Partners would like you to test all the amenities before you make your decision.... Angel." She picked up the TV remote and pressed the power button. A large flatscreen plasma TV sprung to life. Angel's eyes lit up with excitement before he could catch himself.  
  
"Cool! Is that high def...." Buffy smacked him as she listened to the TV announcer.  
  
".... Evacuated and bomb units have been called to the scene where more than a dozen shoppers are being held hostage at this hour. Police are trying to identify the suspect from these security camera pictures." The image froze on Connor, eyes filled with cold rage. Buffy gasped and covered her mouth in shock. "So far, no motive is known for the siege and the suspect has refused to speak with law enforcement officials."  
  
"Wow. He really does have your eyes, doesn't he?" Lilah said to Buffy.  
  
Angel slammed Lilah against the wall, pinning her by the neck, while the newscast of Connor's hostage situation played in the background. Lilah grunted. "Watch the head. It comes off kind of easy."  
  
"You set this whole thing up." Angel said.  
  
"Been a little busy with the being dead."  
  
"You, the Senior Partners, whoever. Get them on the phone. Make it stop. Now."  
  
"Love to except for the part where we didn't have anything to do with it."  
  
"But you know who did." Buffy said, walking up.  
  
"Yeah. I'm looking at them. You're the ones who raised him. Or didn't." Angel released Lilah and she rubbed her neck. "Can't imagine how the kid turned out postal."  
  
"You don't know anything about Connor! Let's keep it that way."  
  
"One-time offer only, Angel. Walk out that door, deal's off. Stay and it's all yours."  
  
Buffy stopped and turned. She didn't care what Angel thought of what she was getting ready to say. "People like you, this place, that's what's wrong with the world, Lilah. I will never be a part of this the way you're hoping. Now let me tell you what the deal's going to be...."  
  
Buffy and Angel watched from a balcony as Connor kneeled down and started wrapping wires around the connector posts of half a dozen car batteries. He paused and smiled but didn't look around. "You guys got in. Thought you might."  
  
They dropped gracefully to the floor and carefully approached Connor from behind. Angel was the first to speak. "Connor.... son?" A tremendous explosion suddenly rocked the rear of the store. The hostages screamed and cowered.  
  
"You might not want to move. The people are rigged, too." Angel looked around at the frightened faces peering back at him and he and Buffy froze in place. "Can't save 'em all, guys. You don't know who's going to be first. Could be any one of them." He stood and turned toward his parents, his face a mask of pain and sadness. He had explosives strapped to his chest as well. "Could be me." Then he stepped to the side, revealing Cordelia lying on the floor sleeping peacefully, her body laced with dynamite. "Could be her."  
  
"Connor, you have to listen to me. This is about Jasmine." Buffy said gently.  
  
"Jasmine's gone."  
  
"I know. We all felt it, that perfect love.... and then when we had to give it up...." Angel said.  
  
"I didn't feel anything! I can't feel anything. I guess I really am your son because I'm dead, too."  
  
"You're not dead, Connor. You're just starting your life." Buffy said.  
  
"No!" He wheeled on his mother. "You just weren't there before."  
  
"I know. And you know I'm so...."  
  
"Do not say you're sorry! It doesn't fix anything."  
  
"Then let me say this. I love you, Connor. We love you."  
  
"It's a lie."  
  
"It's not."  
  
"It's always a lie. My dead grandmother couldn't even love me."  
  
"You're wrong. She does."  
  
"No. She knew she couldn't."  
  
"Connor, I really take it to heart when people insult my mother. But when it's my own son, her grandson, that's insulting her, it really pisses me off." Buffy sighed and stared angrily at her son.  
  
"You tried to love me, both of you.... at least I think you did."  
  
"We still do."  
  
"But not enough to hang on, mom. You let him take me away. You both let him get me. You let him get me.... Cordy, you swore you loved me. Where are you now?"  
  
"Connor, you have to believe that there are people who love you."  
  
"Jasmine believed you when you said you loved her but it was all a lie."  
  
"Oh please! Jasmine was the lie."  
  
"No! She knew if you found out who she really was, that you'd turn against her. And she was right. That's just what happened. People like you two.... people like this. None of you deserved what she could give you. She wanted to give you everything."  
  
"I know how that feels because I want to give you everything. We want to take back the mistakes, help you start over."  
  
"You can't start over."  
  
"We can. I mean, we can change things."  
  
"There's only one thing that ever changes anything and that's death. Everything else is just a lie. You can't be saved by a lie.... you can't be saved at all." He reached down for the wires to complete the circuit and in that split second, Angel made his move.  
  
He leapt across the room and tackled Connor. The fight was on, no holds barred. Angel hurled Connor across the room and followed as Buffy started ripping the explosives and wires off the hostages. After a moment, the hostages got the hint and started freeing themselves, then ran out the front door to the police waiting outside. "Run. Hurry up, all of you. Go!" Buffy shouted.  
  
Connor knocked Buffy away and crawled toward the batteries. Angel snatched a Bowie knife from a display and whipped it across the room where it slammed into Connor's thigh. Buffy grimced as Angel pounced, yanked out the knife, and straddled Connor, pinning him to the floor. He looked down on his son with a world of regret in his eyes.  
  
Buffy walked up and kneeled by her son. "We really do love you, Connor."  
  
"So what are you going to do about it?"  
  
Angel raised the knife for a killing blow. "Prove it."  
  
Buffy kissed her son's head and whispered goodbye before Angel brought down the killing blow. When the blow hit and Connor laid still, Buffy started to cry. Angel held her tightly and kissed her forehead. As they watched, their son's body started to dissappear. Buffy brushed the hair out of his eyes just before Connor dissappeared completely.  
  
Buffy and Angel walked somberly into the lobby of Wolfram and Hart. Fred and the others were there, talking. Fred said, "I can't believe it. Are you saying we should take the deal?"  
  
"We already took it." Buffy said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You took the deal." Wesley said.  
  
"Executive decision." Buffy said, looking sadly at Angel.  
  
"I didn't think either of you would...."  
  
"Know a silver platter when they're handed one?" Lilah asked. She appeared with the Sunnydale folder and amulet in hand. She and Wesley locked eyes. She couldn't quite take it and looked away. "I'm impressed by the lot of you. Team Buffy and Angel, all growed up."  
  
"Is it taken care of?" Buffy asked Lilah.  
  
"Cordelia's safe and sound. Probably getting a manicure and a blow-dry as we speak."  
  
"You found Cordy? And she's...." Fred asked.  
  
"Still in a coma. But, hey, doesn't mean she can't look her best. She'll receive the finest care, medical and metaphysical. If there is a way to get her back, we'll find it."  
  
"Good. Just one more piece of business." Angel said.  
  
"We want to see him." Buffy looked at Lilah.  
  
"I'm sorry, guys, but that wasn't part of the deal." Lilah said.  
  
"Value of compromise. Remember, Lilah? We need to see him." Angel said.  
  
There was a beat as Lilah considered. Finally, she smiled and handed Buffy the folder and amulet. "You're the bosses. There'll be a limo waiting outside. It'll take you guys to see Connor."  
  
"Thank you." Buffy said sincerly.  
  
She and Angel walked out to the awaiting limo. They climbed in and Buffy rested her elbow on the armrest, staring out the window as the sleek black Wolfram & Hart limo curved along a winding mountain road. Buffy sorted through her new memories and her old ones. According to the new memories, Buffy and Angel had gotten married two months after they had seen each other at the place between LA and Sunnydale. Willow had bound his soul with her super witch-y powers. They had left for San Fransico for a few months to help Buffy get back on her feet and be with Angel for an extended honeymoon. When they got back, everyone was so happy, but then the ordeal with Willow going evil had happened. Connor wasn't theirs anymore. Buffy sighed.  
  
Less than an hour later, the limo creeped under low-hanging trees and stopped a discrete distance from a cozy log cabin home nestled in a small clearing. Buffy opened the door and she and Angel emerged. Together they walked toward the house and peered in a large picture window that glowed with hearthside warmth. They stood beyond the light it cast outside, careful to stay out of sight. The sound of laughter drifted out from within.  
  
"You just opened up a whole bottle for yourself, didn't you?" Connor said.  
  
"I'm just saying, you've got your pick. Any college you want to." The dad, Connor's new dad, said.  
  
"It's really not a big deal."  
  
Buffy looked at Angel with tears in her eyes. "He was always so smart, but it wasn't a big thing to him."  
  
"Top ten percentile is a big deal." Connor's mom said. Buffy felt a twinge of jealousy at the bond Connor and his new mother obviously had. The bond he had with his family.  
  
"Are you and Tracy going to try to go to the same college?" Another woman asked, probably his aunt.  
  
"Oh, bad idea." Dad said.  
  
"We haven't talked about it." Connor said.  
  
"I love Tracy. I'm just saying, it's a bad way to go."  
  
"Tracy's a vegan." Connor's sister said.  
  
"So? At least she doesn't live on Pop Tarts." Mom said.  
  
"You know, maybe I'll go to school overseas. Like Russia. Is there anything farther away than Russia?" Connor asked.  
  
"Madagascar." Buffy said. "I thought about going there myself."  
  
"Don't you even joke about it." Mom said.  
  
"I feel a toast coming on." Dad said.  
  
"Oh God." Sis said.  
  
"Here he goes." Mom said.  
  
"To the top ten percentile...." Dad raised his glass but Connor stood up and cut him off.  
  
"Okay, whoa, whoa, enough. That's all I had to hear. Since it's my special day and I'm all brilliant and everything and I'm forced to spend at least a few more weeks with you freaks.... I get to make the toast, okay?" He raised his glass. "To family."  
  
Buffy smiled. He looked so much like Angel with Buffy's eyes and his dark blonde hair. It made her heart hurt more than she thought it ever could.  
  
"I think I should get wine for the toast." Sis said.  
  
As they all broke out into another round of laughter inside, Buffy and Angel watched the happy family scene, then turned away and walked off into the night back to the limo, leaving their son behind. Forever. 


	74. Dirty Girls

A/N Let's just pretend that "Storyteller" to this one ("Dirty Girls") has already happened. Just put Faith in Buffy's place and put more attraction with Spike in there. Ok, on with the story.  
  
Chapter 74  
  
Buffy sat curled in on herself on the other side of the limo. Angel watched her, trying desperately to understand how she was feeling. The scenery flashed by and Buffy barely even noticed. Her cheeks were streaked with dry tears and her eyes were red and wet. Sure she and Angel now owned Wolfram and Hart. Sure her friends in LA were a major part of that team. Sure she had 12 cars and a private limo. Not to mention the huge office and private elevator she and her husband shared at the law firm. None of it mattered because her son was no longer her son. It had been the easiest decision she had ever had to make, but it was also the hardest on her. All of the memories of Connor.. Just like the day that wasn't: Memories that weren't.  
  
Connor had blamed her and Angel the whole time for being raised in Quor- toth. He wasn't the only one who blamed her for it. Buffy blamed herself for it too. She could have done more. Every time she flashed back to that horrible night.. Every time she saw herself doing something different and saving her baby boy. Now, Connor was happy. He didn't even know that Buffy and Angel existed. He didn't know that the people he was with.. They weren't his real family. The thing Buffy was happy about was Connor didn't know that vampires and demons and everything supernatural was really real. He was just a kid who had just graduated from high school at the top of his class.  
  
Buffy laid her head down on her knees and started to sob. Angel reached out to touch her, but she swatted his hand away. "Don't touch me."  
  
"Are you mad at me?" Angel asked.  
  
"No. I just don't want to be touched. I.. I don't know what I want. My son is gone. He really is dead. And no one will know we ever had a baby but us. All this time, he hated me."  
  
"He didn't hate you."  
  
"He blamed us for all his problems. I guess he had every right too. We were lousy parents."  
  
"Don't say that."  
  
"We were always out saving the day and pushing him to help. I think the only thing that made him happy was playing football."  
  
"You made him happy. Connor loved you Buffy. You were his mother."  
  
"It didn't do anything to help him. He still.. He still pulled a me. He pushed himself away and pretended to be there to love and he pretended to love us. I should have known that on the boat when he tried to put you in the ocean."  
  
"Well, it's over now. He's not ours anymore. He belongs with his family."  
  
Buffy was about to respond when the limo stopped and the partition between them and the driver came down. "Excuse me Mr. And Mrs. Summers. I think there's trouble up ahead." The driver said.  
  
"What's going on?" Buffy asked, wiping away her tears.  
  
"There's a girl in the road."  
  
Buffy and Angel looked at each other and then jumped out of the limo. Sure enough there was a young girl in the road. Buffy ran up and crouched next to her. "Are you ok? Can you hear me?" She rolled the girl over. "Can you talk?" Behind them, the driver got out and looked at them.  
  
Angel looked at him. "This girl's bleeding badly. We have to get her to the hospital." He bent over and picked up the girl. Buffy followed Angel back to the limo and they sped away.  
  
Buffy looked at Angel. "Oh yeah, guess we're back in Sunnydale."  
  
Thirty minutes later, Buffy, Willow, and Angel stood watching the surgeons work on the girl. Willow had come to the hospital after Buffy had called her house. Dawn said that Faith was out on patrol with Spike, so no luck there. This was the first real big action since Andrew's tears had closed the seal. Faith had mentioned Giles trying to let Robin Wood kill Spike because Spike had killed his mom back in the 70s. Buffy grunted and turned away.  
  
"What?" Angel asked.  
  
"I think I'm going to go find Faith." Buffy announced. She looked at Willow. "Can you stay here and call when the girl wakes up?"  
  
"Of course Buffy." Willow hugged Buffy. "I'm glad to have you back here. Both of you."  
  
"Hey Willow?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Um.. This is a really weird question.. Do you.. Do you know why Angel and I are married?"  
  
"Of course I do. You went to see him at that place you two went after we brought you back to life and while you were there, I bound his soul to him. Nothing happened, but when you came back and I told you about it and you went to Angel in LA. A month later, you guys went to Vegas and then San Francisco. Not to mention you both love each other more than life. Why are you asking?" Willow's eyes widened. "Are you two having a fight and you want to know why you're together in the first place so you can work it out?"  
  
"NO! God no, Will. I love Angel and he's the guy I wanted to be with. I just.. I don't know why I asked such a silly question." Buffy started to leave. "Call if there's any news."  
  
Angel followed Buffy out to the limo where the driver was waiting. They climbed in and told the driver to take them to the Sunnydale Cemetery. Ten minutes later, Buffy and Angel were walking through the cemetery. Angel looked at Buffy. "I guess everyone's memories were altered."  
  
"Yeah." Buffy said bitterly.  
  
"Are you going to be ok?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Thought so."  
  
Buffy stopped and faced Angel. "Why would I be ok Angel? My only son is no longer my son. He belongs with some run of the mill family away from all the death and destruction that seems to follow his true parents around wherever they go. Granted it's what I've always wanted for him, but.. I miss him. It hurts so bad in my heart to think about what I've given up."  
  
"You still have me."  
  
"I'll always have you." Buffy wrapped herself in Angel's arms. "Please Angel.. Please don't ever leave me alone, ok? I don't think I could bare it if I lost you too."  
  
"Buffy, I will never ever let you be alone. Nothing will keep me from you. No matter what happens, I'll always be by your side. I promise."  
  
A scream sounded out behind them and the two broke apart at a run. They followed the sound from which the scream had come and found a blonde young woman running at top speed through the cemetery. Her pursuer caught up to her just as Buffy and Angel rounded a mausoleum. Buffy yanked him off and discovered that it was Spike.  
  
"Spike, what the hell are you doing?" Buffy asked angrily.  
  
"Buffy?" Spike asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Getting ready to stake you."  
  
"Bit of a misunderstanding here."  
  
"Yeah? I'd say it looks like you're chasing a girl and getting ready to kill her." Angel said.  
  
Behind them all, Faith said, "B? Angel?" They all turned. "You're back!"  
  
"What's going on?" Buffy asked. Suddenly, the girl jumped up in full vamp face and attacked Angel. He swatted her off and easily staked her.  
  
"We should make the bad guys wear a sign." Angel said, dusting himself off.  
  
"Nice to have you two back." Faith said.  
  
"Wish I could say it's good to be back." Buffy said. "So, is there any room left for us at our own house?"  
  
"I think we can give your bedroom back to you guys."  
  
"Uh.. We do have a house to go back to right?" Angel asked.  
  
"Of course. Sure everything's been trashed and replaced, but it's still pretty much the same house." Spike said.  
  
"And you would know how?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Well, I live there."  
  
"What?!" Buffy and Angel asked together.  
  
"Faith.. She told me to since I was a danger. I have chains downstairs."  
  
"Hey, those are ours!" Angel said. Buffy blushed and Faith and Spike stared at Angel. "Not that we use them like that.. You know what, we're adults and it's none of your business what we do in our bedroom."  
  
"You know what? To spare any further embarrassment, let's get back to the house." Faith said.  
  
"I'm with her." Buffy said. "Come on, our.. Car is this way."  
  
Buffy and Angel led Faith and Spike back to waiting limo. Faith stopped and Spike ran into her as he gaped. "This isn't a car! This is a soddin' limo!"  
  
"Where's you get a limo?" Faith asked.  
  
"HOW'D you get a limo?"  
  
"Um.. It's really a long story and it's one we don't have time to tell you about right now." Buffy said as she and Angel slipped in the limo. "Just get in."  
  
They drove to the house in silence and then told the driver to go on back to LA. Faith was the first to walk in followed by Spike then Buffy and Angel. Dawn walked in. "Buffy!" She hugged her sister tightly and then Angel. "I missed you guys."  
  
"It's been about a month." Buffy said.  
  
"Hey look, we have two more house guests." Faith joked.  
  
Giles walked in behind them. "Buffy.. Angel.. It's good to have you back."  
  
"I wish we could say it's good to be back." Angel said. "So far, we've got a potential in the hospital and the First still on the loose.. Right?"  
  
Giles nodded. "So far."  
  
"Well, Angel and I are kinda beat, so we're going to go upstairs and sleep." Buffy said. "Can you guys try to keep it down?"  
  
"Sure Buffy." Dawn said. "Goodnight."  
  
"Night." Buffy and Angel said, heading up the stairs. Buffy stopped at the top and stared at the wall. Angel paused and looked at her, understanding what she was staring at.  
  
Buffy touched the wall. "There used to be a door here."  
  
"It doesn't exist because Connor isn't ours. He was never ours."  
  
"Don't say that. He's still my son and nothing can change that.. Not even taking away everything that was him."  
  
Angel nodded and took her hand. "Come on. We both need sleep. It's been a hard night for us both."  
  
Buffy walked in to Principal Wood's office the next morning. "Hey. From what I've heard.. You look pretty good."  
  
"Buffy." Principal Wood said, standing. "You're back."  
  
"Yeah. Things settled down a lot in LA. So how are you?"  
  
"I'll be ok. Unless, of course, you want to start beating up on me now too."  
  
"I won't. Well, I thought about it. As far as I'm concerned, we're on even ground. Spike is just Spike. I want to make this clear though: I don't have time for your vendetta, but I need you in this fight. I want you on my side."  
  
"Thanks. That means a lot."  
  
"So, we're good here?"  
  
"Absolutely." Buffy sighed. "You're fired."  
  
"What!?"  
  
"Effective immediately."  
  
"You're firing me? I just got back from important business. It's not my fault evil rises everywhere I am."  
  
"Buffy, there's nothing here for you. I mean, people are leaving town, half the kids don't even bother showing up anymore. You've got things to deal with that are much worse than anything here. Look at the big picture."  
  
"Right. The big picture. The one with the big war and the dead little girls."  
  
"Not dead. Not dead. Not if you help get them ready."  
  
"I don't want to lead them into war. It can't be the right thing."  
  
"Most wars aren't, you know."  
  
"Some of these girl haven't even been tested in battle yet."  
  
"Then, I guess, maybe you should test them."  
  
"Couldn't I just come to work part-time? I could make flyers for encounter groups and post them up all over school."  
  
"And you're fired again. Remember, Buffy, the mission's what matters. You're back now and you need to take charge. Faith is a good leader, but I'm fairly certain that you're better." Buffy nodded. "So.. How's Angel?"  
  
"He's good. He's at the house." Buffy sighed. "Hey, we own an evil law firm."  
  
"Really? How'd you manage that?"  
  
"We stopped world peace."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'll explain it later when we have time. So, people are leaving town?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm guessing they all feel the bad mojo that's really been emanating from the Hellmouth."  
  
"That's a first. They should have left a long time ago."  
  
"They sense something much larger than what they're used to is coming. Pretty soon this whole town will be deserted."  
  
"Except for us. We'll be the stupid ones running head first into the demons while everyone is running head first in the opposite direction."  
  
"It's your job. Get used to it."  
  
"I've had eight years to get used to it. It's an acquired taste." Buffy stood. "Well, I better get back to the house since I'm not needed here."  
  
"I'll see you Buffy."  
  
"Bye." As soon as she was out on the street, Angel pulled up in the van. Buffy smiled ironically at the normalcy of it all.  
  
"Buffy, Willow just called from the hospital. The girl's awake." Angel said, opening the door for her.  
  
Buffy climbed in and Angel drove to the hospital. 


	75. Dirty Girls part 2

Chapter 75  
  
Shannon was bruised badly all over her body. She lay in bed covered with bandages. Buffy had just asked who had done this to her. "He was a minister, or something.. At least, he dressed like one. I thought he was trying to save me.. at first."  
  
"He.. he picked you up on the side of the road?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Bringers were chasing me. He said they were his boys.. right before he burned me." Shannon removed the bandage over the burn on her neck. Willow took a digital camera out of her purse and snapped a picture of the burn. "He wanted to tell you something. Before he.. cut me.. he told me to give the slayer a message."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"He said, 'I have something of yours.'"  
  
Buffy's eyes widened and she looked at Angel. They were both thinking the same thing. Angel thanked Shannon and said they would be back to check on her. Buffy took Angel out to the van and got in while Willow got in Xander's car. Buffy looked at Angel as he got in the driver's seat. "You don't think.."  
  
"He couldn't have. He was on the road ahead of us."  
  
"Well, we're going in. We're going to find where this priest guy is and we're going to find out what he has of mine. Or maybe ours."  
  
Twenty minutes later, Buffy stood in front of all the potentials and the Scooby Gang. "We've got a new player in town. Dresses like a preacher. Calls himself Caleb. Looks like he's working for the First."  
  
"He's taunting us, calling us out." Angel said. "Says he's got something of Buffy's. Could be another girl.." He glanced at Buffy. "Could be something else."  
  
"Don't know, don't care. It's time you all get out there and start learning instead of training. He's got something of mine? Fine. I'm getting it back, and you guys are coming with me."  
  
"Now, go and start getting prepared." Angel said. Everyone left except Willow, Xander, Giles, Faith, and Spike.  
  
"We need to start arming the girls. I wanna be ready to move when we find him." Buffy said.  
  
"We don't even know where we're going." Willow said.  
  
"That's why I figured we'd do a little recon first." Buffy turned to Angel and Faith. "You two up for it?"  
  
"Point me where you want me." Faith said.  
  
"And you're certain this is the best course of action?" Giles asked. "You don't even know what this man has of yours.. if he, in fact, has anything."  
  
"It could be a girl, a potential trying to get to us." Angel argued.  
  
"Could be a stapler."  
  
"Going in anyway."  
  
"With the girls? Most of whom have yet to be in the field, let alone in a life or death situation."  
  
"Then it's time we test them."  
  
"Look, we'll just take the ones that have been here the longest. The rest can stay behind." Buffy said.  
  
"Could be that's just what he wants you to do the old bait-and-switch." Spike said.  
  
"Yeah, he lures us away and then kills the girls we leave behind." Willow said.  
  
"I know." Buffy said. "That's why I need you to stay here with them. You're my most powerful weapon, Will. I know you can keep them safe if anything happens."  
  
"An unknown man breezes into town, says he has something of yours." Xander said. "Buffy, this thing's got 'trap' written all over it."  
  
"He won't be expecting a full attack.. not this soon."  
  
"That's why we have to move." Angel said.  
  
"We know nothing about this man. We cannot go into battle unprepared. We have to have more time." Giles said.  
  
"Giles, we don't have time. And you're not going into battle. You to stay behind with the others."  
  
"Help the girls who still need a teacher." Faith said bitterly.  
  
Buffy looked at her, understanding she was angry. The two Slayers and Angel grabbed their coats and headed out the door. Faith smiled. "Too bad you told the limo to go back to LA. We could've been patrolling in style."  
  
Buffy gave her a small smile. "Yeah."  
  
They started to walk. "So, what's up with the whole limo thing? I missed the big explanation this morning at breakfast."  
  
"Angel and I own Wolfram and Hart now."  
  
"Get out."  
  
"Lilah said we won and they gave us the LA branch." Angel said.  
  
"How'd you manage to 'win'?"  
  
"We stopped world peace." Buffy and Angel both said.  
  
"Say what?"  
  
"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Buffy said sadly.  
  
"Trust me, I'd believe anything you tell me. I've seen some weird stuff."  
  
"Maybe some other time, huh? It's an extremely long story and I just found what's going to lead us to preacher guy." Angel said, pointing up ahead. A Bringer was headed towards the edge of town. The three dropped back and then followed from a distance. They followed the Bringer into the woods and Buffy cocked her head, staring intently. She and Angel had been out of the Sunnydale loop for a while now. Everything was a little bit on the new side right now.  
  
"No eyes, but look at him go. Has he got sonar or something?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Or something, I guess. Pretty good when they attack." Faith said.  
  
"Do they just roam free around town?" Angel asked.  
  
"Well, normally, they show up out of nowhere, and then either stab or get stabbed, and then they run off. Looks like this guy wants to be found. Lends weight to the whole 'it's a trap' theory, huh?"  
  
"I'm don't really want to wait around for people to attack us." Buffy said.  
  
"Hey, I'm with you. Drop me in the hornet's nest, what the hell? We got a rough sitch here, trying to turn a bunch of little girls into an army.."  
  
"They're potential slayers, just like we were."  
  
"Right. Maybe they'll do as good as us." Faith sighed. "They're getting better."  
  
"Angel and I'll work with em. Some of em seem real eager. They seem like they're ready to fight."  
  
"Buffy.." Angel stopped and they all looked at a barn-like building that the Bringer walked up to. "What is this place?"  
  
"Look, there's more of them." Faith said.  
  
"I think we just found our hornet's nest." Buffy said.  
  
"Let's get the cavalry." Angel said, turning away and leading the women back to the main road. They got back to the house and found Xander giving a speech about Buffy and Angel. "Sure both of them have been away for a long time. But I've been through more battles with Buffy and Angel than you all can ever imagine. They've stopped everything that's ever come up against them. Both of them have laid down their lives.. Literally.. to protect the people around them. Buffy has died two times, and she's still standing. You're scared? That's smart. You got questions? You should. But you doubt thier motives, you think their all about the kill, then you take the little bus to battle. I've seen Buffy's heart and in that I get to see Angel's, and this time.. not literally. And I'm telling you, right now, both of them care more about your lives than you will ever know. You gotta trust them. They've earned it."  
  
"Damn. I never knew you two were that cool." Faith said.  
  
Everyone turned to look at them as Buffy looked at Faith. "Well, you always were a little slow."  
  
"I get that now."  
  
"All right, let's saddle up." Angel said.  
  
Buffy, Angel, Faith, Spike, Rona, and Kennedy got in the van while Xander, Molly, Chao-Ahn, Amanda, and another potential got in Xander's car with him. They drove the small gang to the edge of the woods and then walked them to the Bringer's hide away. They strolled up to the front door, then Buffy paused to address the team. "Ok. Set up a perimeter. Guard the door. I don't want anything getting in behind us. My team goes in first, we check the place out. You guys are our safety-net. If this place is a trap, we give the signal, you guys come in, guns a-blazing."  
  
"So, what's the signal?" Xander asked.  
  
"I'm thinking lots and lots of yelling." Angel said.  
  
"Got it."  
  
Angel turned to Buffy. "Shall we?"  
  
"We shall." Buffy said, opening the door and stepping in. Behind them, their team consisting of Molly, Kennedy, Rona, and Chao-Ahn followed them. So far, the top floors were clear. Angel found a door and said it smelled like wine. They decided it was worth a shot and they walked down the steps to a large wine cellar.  
  
"What is this place?" Molly asked.  
  
"Looks like an old vineyard." Buffy said.  
  
"An evil vineyard, huh?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"Like Falcon Crest." Angel said. Buffy looked at him and he shrugged.  
  
"Stay alert, you guys. Bringers are here somewhere. Just need to find out where." Buffy said.  
  
"Shouldn't be too hard."  
  
Bringers came out of the shadows, from behind the barrels of wine, and attacked Buffy, Angel, and the gang. The fight was fairly even. Suddenly, the Bringers stopped fighting and walked back into the shadows. Preacher guy walked out into the light. "Well, now, you girls are just burning with righteousness, aren't you? Problem is, you think you're blazing like suns, when really you're burning like matchsticks in the face of the darkness. You having fun? Now, I hope my boys haven't worn you out too much.. I need you fit for when I purify you."  
  
"Save the sermon, padre. I heard you have something of mine." Buffy said, looking around for any sign of Connor. She looked at Angel and he shook his head.  
  
"Well, I do now. You liked my little message, did you? You know, I ruined a perfectly good knife on that girl. Got her soiled blood all over the place. I may have to get a new truck. So, you're the Slayer. The Slayer. The strongest, the fastest, the most aflame with that most precious invention of all mankind.. the notion of goodness. The Slayer must indeed be powerful." With one powerful punch, he sent Buffy flying across the room.  
  
"Buffy!" Angel yelled, wheeling angrily on the Preacher.  
  
"So, what else you got?"  
  
Angel vamped out and attacked Preacher guy. PG pushed him down with ease. Angel tried to get up, but PG head-butted him, then threw him across the room into a huge wine storage tank that busted when Angel hit it. Wine poured out of the tank and washed Angel across the floor. Kennedy and the other potentials got into gear and joined the fight. The Bringers came back out of the shadows to fight the potentials as well. Kennedy stormed PG but had to engage a Bringer instead. PG punched Kennedy, knocking her into a stack of wine barrels. Rona ran toward Kennedy, but Caleb cut her off. She swung the spiked baseball bat at PG, but he caught it and looked her in the eyes.  
  
"Miss, I do believe you have your own problems you should be worrying about." PG broke Rona's arm with ease, sending her reeling back in agony. He chuckled and bent to pick up a knife from the floor. He tossed the knife to a nearby Bringer, who swung it back ready to plunge it into Rona's body.  
  
An arrow pierced the Bringer's forearm as he reared back. They turned to look, and saw Xander standing there with a bow. Faith and Spike were there beside him. The Bringer let Rona and fought with Xander.  
  
"Oh, good. There's more of you." Preacher guy said. Faith charged at him.  
  
Xander saw Buffy lying unconscious against the wall where she fell when the Preacher guy threw her. "Buffy!" Xander ran to Buffy, fighting off Bringers on his way to her side. Holding a knife in each hand, Faith engaged the Preacher in a fight, but she didn't seem to faze him. He looked at her. "Well, you're the other one, aren't you. Your Cain to her Abel." Faith threw a knife at him. "No offense meant to Cain, of course."  
  
Faith attacked him with her other knife, but he grabbed her arm, twisted it, and crossed it with her other arm in a fashion such that she couldn't move, but was looking right at him. He squeezed her hands until she was forced to drop the knife. Faith grunted at him and kneed him in the crotch, causing him to let go of her just enough so that she could escape his grasp. She backhanded him across the face. "Never was much for the good book."  
  
He grabbed Faith's arm and twisted it painfully behind her back, causing her to double over. She fell to her knees as he twisted and pulled her arm and walked around to the front of her. "Oh, it has its moments. Paul had some good stuff, for instance. But overall I find it a tad complicated." He slapped Faith. "I like to keep things simple." He kicked her across the room into a stack of wine barrels. "Good folk, bad folk.." Chao-Ahn swung at him, but he grabbed her sword, then her face. "Clean folk, dirty folk.." He snapped Chao-Ahn's neck and dropped her to the ground.  
  
"No!" Molly yelled.  
  
"Yes." Preacher guy walked towards Molly.  
  
Buffy looked up at Xander weakly. "Xander, get them out of here. We have to retreat. Do it." Xander let. Preacher guy walked menacingly toward Molly, who backed up slowly, frozen with fear. She raised her arm back to stab him, but he grabbed her wrist, then her neck. Another potential fought a Bringer. A Bringer threw Amanda against a wall and attacked her. Buffy stood just as Preacher guy squeezed Molly's neck, lifting her off the floor. Buffy tried to go to her, but Bringers kept attacking her, slowing her down.  
  
"What can I say? I work in mysterious ways." Preacher guy stabbed Molly and let go of her neck, dropping her to the ground. "Also some fairly straightforward ones."  
  
Enraged at seeing what he did to Molly, Buffy rushed Preacher guy. She fought him more evenly this time, avoiding his punches, and landing a few of her own. She punched him so hard, he was sent flying across the room.  
  
Angel grabbed Buffy's arm. "We're all leaving."  
  
"No!" Buffy said.  
  
Angel picked Buffy up and hauled her away from the fight. Xander went to Kennedy's side. "Are you ok?" Kennedy nodded. "Let's go. Come on." He helped Kennedy to her feet. Spike escorted Rona and Faith out of the building. "Let's go! Come on!"  
  
Preacher guy grabbed Xander and turned him around so he was facing him. "You're the one who sees everything, aren't you?" He reared his hand back in front of Xander's face. "Well, let's see what we can't do about that." He plunged his thumb into Xander's left eye, gouging it out. Xander screamed in agony. Spike charged Preacher guy, knocking Xander away from him. Xander, bleeding from his eye, stumbled back, falling to the ground in front of wine barrels.  
  
"Xander!" Buffy screamed. Angel dropped her to her feet and they ran over to Xander. Buffy and Angel lifted Xander to his feet, and carried him out, one supporting each of his arms. Preacher guy sat up but didn't pursue them as they walked out.  
  
Later that night after checking on Xander and Rona at the hospital and the rest of the potentials at the house, Buffy walked out the door and walked down the street. Angel followed her out and kept his distance for a while. The Slayer walked to the bluff overlooking Sunnydale and sat cross-legged near the edge. She sighed and looked out at the darkened city. After a minute, Angel walked up and sat down beside her. She looked at him gratefully and took his hand.  
  
"What went wrong?" Buffy asked quietly.  
  
"It wasn't your fault. None of us knew." Angel said.  
  
"No, I meant with me. What went wrong with me? I know better than to go in blind."  
  
"We all do."  
  
"Faith's been slaking off with these girls. I think we did so poorly because they're not exactly trained."  
  
"Then we up everything. Make them work harder and give them lessons on everything. Weapons, combat, new types of fighting skills.. Whatever we can arm them with, we do it."  
  
"They're going to hate us."  
  
"So what? They're not here on a vacation, Buffy. They're here to help save the world and keep the Slayer line from being killed off one by one. The Watcher's Council is gone. There's only two Watchers left."  
  
"Then we bring Wesley in. We bring in Gunn, Fred, Lorne, and whatever forces we can get from Wolfram and Hart. We own it now and they take orders from us. We could do this and keep the potentials out of it."  
  
"But we're not." It wasn't a question. "These girls need to learn is my point. There's not going to be anybody there to train them when or if they're called. They have to learn now or get out now and try not to die."  
  
"So, choices are: we up the training and become Sunnydale's most hated or we let them slack off like they have been and everyone dies. I think I'll take the former."  
  
"It's settled then. You're the boss now Buffy."  
  
"We're the bosses Angel. Whatever I do, I want you to be there with me and stop me if I go too far."  
  
"Always. I'll back you in whatever you decide."  
  
Buffy sighed and looked out at the city. "Nice view huh?" Angel smiled and pulled her into his arms, leading her between his legs to lean back on his chest. 


	76. Empty Places

Chapter 76  
  
A man closed his shop. There was lots of traffic and honking on the street. The street was full of cars, all pointed in the same direction, but no one was moving. People were even walking through the street carrying belongings. Buffy and Angel walked among them, looking around, when someone in a car called out to them. It was Clem, driving a late model red VW Beetle.  
  
"Hey you two." Clem said.  
  
"Hey." Buffy said.  
  
"So I heard you two got back in town about a week ago and you now own Wolfram and Hart."  
  
"You heard right."  
  
"Isn't that an EVIL law firm?"  
  
"I guess you could call it that." Angel said.  
  
"You're lawyers? When did that happen?"  
  
"We're not.. We just run the place." Buffy said.  
  
A car horn blared behind Clem. "Can you believe this mishegaas?"  
  
"Yeah. You'd think these people had never seen an apocalypse before. What about you? Just going for a quick spin to 7-Eleven.. in Nebraska?"  
  
"It's getting bad here. Really bad. Hellmouth acting up again, people feeling it, getting crazier. You can't swing a cat without hitting some kind of demonic activity. Not that I swing cats, or eat.. nope. Heh. Cuttin' way back. Cholesterol.. morals. I mean, morals."  
  
"Right."  
  
"We've seen some bad stuff in this town before but, you know, this time, it's like it just seems different, more powerful. I don't think anyone's gonna be able to stop it." Clem caught himself. "I mean, I'm sure you'll do fine. Complete confidence in you two. Heh. Uh, if anyone can do it, you guys can, because you.. rock! If you save the world, I'll come back, we'll have drinks. When. When, I mean. When you save the world. It's gonna be great with all the.. rocking. Maybe.. maybe you should just get out of town this time."  
  
"Yeah. We probably should." Angel said sadly, knowing they couldn't just up and leave like the rest of Sunnydale.  
  
"You take care of yourselves, ok?" Clem waved. "Bye." With that, he drove off.  
  
Angel looked down at his watch. "Oh hey, aren't we supposed to meet Willow at the hospital about now?"  
  
"Oh.." Buffy grabbed Angel's wrist and looked at his watch. "Come on."  
  
An hour later, Buffy and Angel walked wearily into the house. Buffy had wanted to leave because she felt so guilty about Xander that she couldn't stand to be around him at the moment. Not like she was going to avoid the subject though because Dawn walked up to them and said, "Hey guys. How's Xander?"  
  
Faith, Kennedy, and Amanda walked into the dining room as Buffy said. "He's doing really well. He's ready to come home, I think." She smiled and put down the file on the table. Angel started opening it.  
  
"Whatcha got?" Faith asked.  
  
"Info that Giles and Willow were able to pull off the police database. We figured with Caleb's, you know, overt religiosity thing if we wanna learn more about him, let's find out where he's been." Angel said.  
  
"'Incidents of violence and vandalism connected to California religious institutions in the last 10 years.' Looks like this gives us a place to start."  
  
"Yeah. We figure we start with California. We don't find anything there, we'll expand the search. But a guy like Caleb didn't just get in the game. He's been playing for a while, and I wanna know where. Whatever it takes." Angel looked at Dawn. "You good to help?"  
  
"Well, I was gonna do lots and lots of homework, but darn the luck, they went and canceled school, so looks like I got the time."  
  
Angel smiled and handed Dawn the papers. "Good."  
  
"Hey, um.. How was Xander's mood, you know, exactly?" Neither Buffy or Angel looked at her. "And did you get a chance to talk to the doctor about the meds? Because it seemed like.."  
  
"Hey, pipsqueak, why don't you go get some of the stuff you've already gotten from Giles?" Faith said.  
  
"Or, um, we can talk about this later, maybe."  
  
"Ok." Buffy said, still not looking at Dawn.  
  
"Yeah. I'll be right back." With that, Dawn left the room.  
  
"Try to find anything that looks like Caleb, his church, his ring.."  
  
"His ability to render a slayer useless in just one punch." Kennedy said. Buffy looked up, hurt and Faith frowned. "I didn't.. that was stupid. I don't know why I said that."  
  
"Uh, it's ok. Um.. you know, I.. I have to go to the school to pick up the rest of my stuff."  
  
"I really didn't mean.."  
  
"It's fine. Really, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Hey, uh.. isn't Anya doing that thing for you guys today?"  
  
"Yeah. We were. We probably should head down there now."  
  
"Ok. I'll be back soon." Kennedy and Amanda left. Buffy looked at Faith. "See that everyone else gets started on this." Faith nodded and Buffy headed to the door.  
  
Angel caught her before she could open it. "I'll come with."  
  
"No. Just.. stay here and watch after them, ok?"  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"It's just the school. I promise I'll call if the Hellmouth decides to open while I'm there." Angel stared at her wearily. "I'm coming right back." With that, she kissed him gently then left.  
  
Angel stood in a corner watching Giles walk to the desk and pull a magnifying glass out of the drawer. A bunch of potentials were sitting on the couch and chairs in the living room as well, but they were quiet and solemn-looking. Andrew had been bitching to Angel about Faith eating one of his hot pockets and Angel had told him to go away. Now he was bitching to Giles about it.  
  
"See, it's not the hot pocket itself.... even though it did have that new- and-improved thicker tomato sauce.... it's just the fundamental lack of respect." Andrew whined.  
  
"Shut up." Giles said. "Pay attention." He held the magnifying glass over the photo. "Dawn, what do you see?"  
  
"What am I looking for?" Dawn asked.  
  
"On the back wall, a.... knothole."  
  
"That's not a knothole."  
  
"Amanda, would you go down to the basement and get Spike?"  
  
"Maybe this'll help.... if this does bring us closer to Caleb."  
  
A minute later, Spike stalked into the room. "What's up.... Rupert?"  
  
"Spike, I have a mission for you."  
  
"Oh, really? Cause, you know, sometimes our missions end up with you trying to kill me. I'm not fond of those."  
  
"This is bona fide.... with real ramifications. Take a look at this." Giles handed the picture and the magnifying glass to Spike.  
  
"Looks like our boy's been here. You want me to go check it out?"  
  
"I need someone who can take care of themselves in case Caleb has.... left some souvenirs."  
  
"Are we gonna get to the food-stealing issue soon?" Andrew whined.  
  
"Take Andrew."  
  
"What!?" Spike and Andrew asked.  
  
"Well, you are always saying you wanna get out of the house more." Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah, but...." Andrew protested.  
  
"There may be demons.... lurking about. You never know. He's a demon expert. He can help."  
  
"Oh, please." Spike said.  
  
"Well, he can bring his pan flute thing along. Excellent. Off you go."  
  
"Giles!"  
  
"I'll go." Angel said, stepping in.  
  
"I would like you here, Angel." Giles said.  
  
"I don't want to be here. I need to get out so I'll take Spike and Andrew to the mission. I know where it's at." He grabbed his coat and breezed out the door before Giles could say anything more.  
  
Buffy walked into her house and shut the door. "Hey. Guys, how's it.." She paused and looked around, realizing everyone was gone. "Going?"  
  
"Buffy. Are you hurt?" Giles asked from the dining room.  
  
"Oh.. Caleb came back looking for seconds."  
  
"My God, is h-he.."  
  
"Still able to make me see cartoon birdies all around my head? You betcha. The short lack of consciousness was nice. I feel rested." Buffy sat with a groan. "So.. how did those police files work out? Were they helpful?"  
  
"Uh.. uh.. yes. Very much so, I think. Um.. there's evidence that Caleb may have established a foothold up north."  
  
"That's great. That's.."  
  
"I, um.. I sent Spike to look into it."  
  
"Spike? Is this a mission from which you intend Spike to return alive?"  
  
"Yes. I sent Andrew with him."  
  
"Again I ask the question."  
  
"Buffy, you and Angel weren't here. Decisions have to be made in your absence."  
  
"Yeah, well, those are the ones that have been scaring me."  
  
"I did what I thought was right."  
  
"Where's Angel?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You know, tall broody guy that I married?"  
  
"He went with Spike."  
  
"What? You sent away one of the few people that's been watching my back."  
  
"We're all watching your back."  
  
"Funny.. that's not really what it feels like." Buffy stood and got ready to leave.  
  
"Buffy.."  
  
"Where did everybody go?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Faith. The girls. Where are they?"  
  
"Um.. Faith thought that the girls could do with some time off their studies. I.. I thought.. She took them to the Bronze."  
  
Buffy gawked and rolled her eyes, walking back out the door. She was angry now. All their hard work and Faith was throwing it away because she was the lenient Slayer.  
  
Angel stared out the van's window as he drove. Spike was in the passenger's seat and Andrew was sitting in one of the seats behind them. He leaned forward. "You sure you don't wanna stop and pick up some burgers or something, you know, road trip food?"  
  
"It's not a road trip. It's a covert operation." Spike said.  
  
"Right. Right. Gotcha. I-I bet even covert operatives eat curly fries. They're really good."  
  
"Not as good as those onion blossom things."  
  
"Ooh, I love those."  
  
"Yeah, me, too."  
  
"It's an onion.... and it's a flower. I-I don't understand how such a thing is possible."  
  
"See, the genius of it is you soak it in ice water for an hour so it holds its shape. Then you deep-fry it root-side up for about 5 minutes."  
  
"Masterful."  
  
"Yeah." Spike paused and then glanced at Angel and Andrew. "Tell anyone we had this conversation, I'll bite you and stake you."  
  
"Right." Andrew said.  
  
"Don't worry Spike, I won't tell anyone the Big Bad is a softie who can hold a conversation about a fried onion." Angel said.  
  
Spike smiled. "So how's the that Slayer of yours? She seems a little on the depressed and broody side."  
  
"She's been through a lot."  
  
"S'what Faith and Willow said. Something about how she and you were evil. The LA gang planned Angelus, but evil Buffy...."  
  
"She doesn't like talking about it.... And frankly, neither do I."  
  
"Wow.... Buffy was evil?" Andrew asked.  
  
"Didn't you hear him you little ponce?" Spike asked. "He doesn't want to talk about it."  
  
"Ok, I'll ask Buffy later."  
  
"Sit back and shut up." Angel growled.  
  
Buffy stormed to the Bronze. As Buffy rounded the corner, Faith kicked a police officer against the hood of his car, grabbed the club from another, pressed it against his throat, and knocked him into a wall. He sunk down to the ground.  
  
"Faith! What are you doing?" Buffy asked angrily as she walked up.  
  
"Just blowing off steam. Well, it started that way. Turned when the cops went evil on us." Faith said.  
  
Dawn, Chao-Ahn, Rona, and the other girls came out of the club and gathered around Buffy and Faith. "Girls, go home. I need to talk to Faith for a minute."  
  
"Buffy, we weren't.." Dawn started.  
  
"Dawn.. you, too. Go." The girls walked away.  
  
Buffy glared at Faith. "What is this?"  
  
"They needed a break, all right? They've been running themselves into the ground. Things just got out of hand." Faith said.  
  
"Taking a break is one thing.. I get blowing off steam.. but they were fighting. And those girls were drunk! What were you thinking?!"  
  
"Seemed like a good idea at the time."  
  
"Yeah, what if someone had gotten hurt?"  
  
"They didn't."  
  
"Faith, I need to know that these girls are gonna be safe when Angel and I aren't around."  
  
"No one got hurt, B. Look, you don't even know these girls. You haven't been here. Maybe you should have a little more confidence in em, let them mess up sometimes, you know, get down and dirty. How the hell else are they gonna learn?"  
  
"Learning from your mistakes is one thing. I know all about that. But you don't throw children into.."  
  
"They're not children."  
  
"That really isn't the point."  
  
"Yeah, what about the vineyard?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"How safe were they when you dragged them off to meet Caleb? How safe was Rona or Amanda or Molly?"  
  
Enraged, Buffy punched Faith in the face, knocking her down to the ground. Buffy walked away. Faith touched her face and watched Buffy leave, but didn't follow. 


	77. Empty Places part 2

Chapter 77  
  
Spike pushed open the creaky front door to the mission as Andrew stood nervously behind him. Angel and Spike sighed and walked in, followed by Andrew.  
  
"No one's here." Andrew said. "These kinda places make me feel funny inside."  
  
"I'll buy that." Spike said. "You and me got something else in common after all."  
  
Suddenly, someone jumped out of a closet as they walked past. They grabbed Andrew and pushed him against the wall. Andrew squealed. Angel pulled the robed man off of Andrew, and the man punched Angel. They started to fight. Spike pushed the man against the wall, and he fell to the ground. Angel pushed the hood off of the man's face to reveal a burn mark on the man's cheek. The mark looked like something Caleb made with his ring.  
  
"Tell me about the mark." Angel said.  
  
"Oh...." The monk covered the scar.  
  
"Hey! Are you part of Caleb's faction?"  
  
"No! No!"  
  
"Then tell me what happened."  
  
"I c-can't."  
  
"'Can't' is a 4-letter word!" Andrew said, bending down. "I'm Andrew. I'll be your bad cop this evening. You don't start singing, my associates here...." Spike grabbed Andrew and pulled him away, allowing Angel to work.  
  
"We're trying to fight him. Caleb. We need your help." Angel released the monk and he stood up.  
  
"You can't fight him. You can't stop him. You can only run."  
  
"'Run' is a 4-letter wor.... A 3-letter word." Andrew broke in again. Spike pulled him away and told him to shut up.  
  
"Talk."  
  
"I'll do better. I'll show you." The man grabbed a candelabra. "One night, some time ago, a man arrived at our doors."  
  
"And you said, 'come in, do some damage'?" Spike asked.  
  
"We are.... we are a benevolent order, and, yes, we welcomed him. We offered to feed him.... but he had come for something else." The monk walked up to a statue of Mary in an alcove, just as seen on the picture that led Spike, Angel, and Andrew here in the first place. He touched a secret lever, causing the statue to swing out of the way, revealing a secret compartment behind it. "Behind this, he revealed something even we didn't know was here. A secret room. He was excited, talking the whole time.... destiny, that sort of thing."  
  
"Yeah. We hear he's a real smooth talker." Angel said.  
  
"He was going on about this ancient inscription."  
  
"Neat." Andrew said.  
  
"He read it.... and he didn't like what it said. His temper.... He was the purest evil I've ever seen. He burned his mark upon me. And then I ran and I hid.... and I listened to the others die."  
  
"Running away.... saved your life." Angel took the candelabra from the monk and he and SPike walked up to the inscription. "What does it say?"  
  
The inscription was Latin words written with Greek letters. "Non tibi est. Ei solae tractare licet." Angel read. He smiled, knowing who the inscription was talking about. "'It is not for thee. It is for her alone to wield.'"  
  
There was a hastily made yellow banner painted with 'WELCOME HOME' in big red letters hanging over the fireplace. They had found out that Xander was going to be coming home that night. Giles, Dawn, and the potentials were gathered in the living room as Buffy and Willow escorted Xander in the room. Faith and Robin Wood followed, closing the door behind them. Xander looked around. "Oh, God."  
  
"We didn't have time to do more. You have to pretend there's a big party here." Kennedy said. Dawn hugged Xander tightly. He looked around. "That's fine. Parties in this house, I usually end up having to.. rebuild something."  
  
"Welcome home, Xander. Angel and I wanted you to be here for this." Buffy said. "I think you'll be interested in what we found out."  
  
"W-what did you find out?" Willow asked.  
  
"I-it's about the cellar. Look, I know that night wasn't fun for any of us.. but I figured out some things about that place, and I realize now what we have to do. We're going back in." The room went to complete silence. "Look, I know what you're thinking, but I had a visit at the school today from Caleb."  
  
"Buffy, why didn't you...." Daw started.  
  
"I'm fine. I mean, it wasn't fun, but I'm fine. I'm better than fine. I- I figured something out. He kept making all this noise about the school."  
  
"Is it that seal again?" Wood asked.  
  
"Do we need to try shutting it again?" Willow asked.  
  
"No, that's just it." Buffy said. "We've spent all this time worrying about the seal and the Hellmouth. Why isn't Caleb guarding them? Why doesn't he have someone there protecting it? Why is he camped out at the vineyard? The bad guys always go where the power is. So if the seal was so important to Caleb and the First, they would be there right now. They're protecting the vineyard or something at the vineyard."  
  
"I say it's their power, and I say it's time we go in and take it away from them."  
  
"Or, in the alternative, how 'bout we don't?" Faith said. "I mean, it's a neat theory, B, but I'm not going back in that place, not without proof, and neither should you and neither should they."  
  
"I'm not saying it's gonna be easy."  
  
"I think Faith had the floor." Wood said.  
  
"Maybe it ends ok the way you wanna play it, but maybe it doesn't." Faith said. "And right now, I don't think I want you playin' the odds."  
  
"You wanna fight?"  
  
"Listen, we're fighters, all of us, but you gotta give me something to fight, something real, not...."  
  
"Windmills." Giles said.  
  
"There is something there." Buffy insisted.  
  
"Maybe. But we can't be sure of that. This is a hell of a lot to ask."  
  
"Too much." Wood said.  
  
"I-I don't understand this. For 7 years, I've kept us safe by doing this.... exactly this, making the hard decisions. And now, what? Suddenly you're all acting like you can't trust me?"  
  
"Didn't you say to me today you can't trust us? Maybe there's something there that should be addressed." Giles said.  
  
"Is that why you sent Angel away, to ambush me?"  
  
"Oh, come on."  
  
"You know what? I am sick of your deal with Angel. This isn't about him. This is about you. You're being reckless." Rona said.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked incredulously.  
  
"You are! I don't even know you, and I can tell! You are so obsessed with beating Caleb, you are willing to jump into any plan without thinking."  
  
"That's not what I'm doing."  
  
"Well, that's how it feels to us. People are dying." Kennedy said.  
  
"Kennedy...." Willow started.  
  
"Why are you always standing up for her?"  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"What do you mean, you're not?" Buffy asked through surpressed tears.  
  
"With everything that's happened, I-I'm worried about your judgment."  
  
"Look, I wish this could be a democracy. I really do. Democracies don't win battles. It's a hard truth, but there has to be a single voice. You need someone to issue orders and be reckless sometimes and not take your feelings into account. You need someone to lead you."  
  
"And it's automatically you." Anya said. "You really do think you're better than we are."  
  
"No, I...."  
  
"But we don't know. We don't know if you're actually better. I mean, you came into the world with certain advantages, sure. I mean, that's the legacy."  
  
"I...."  
  
"But you didn't earn it. You didn't work for it. You've never had anybody come up to you and say you deserve these things more than anyone else. They were just handed to you. So that doesn't make you better than us. It makes you luckier than us."  
  
"I've gotton us this far."  
  
"But not without a price." Xander said.  
  
"Xander...."  
  
"I'm trying to see your point here, Buff.... but I guess it must be a little bit to my left.... cause I just don't."  
  
"Look, I'm willing to talk strategy, ok, I'll hear suggestions on how to break this down, but this is the plan. We have to be together on this or we will fail again."  
  
"We are clearly demonstrating that we are not together on this!" Giles said.  
  
"Which is why you have to fall in line! I'm still in charge here."  
  
"Why is that, exactly?" Rona asked.  
  
"Because I'm the Slayer."  
  
"And isn't Faith a slayer, too?"  
  
"What?" Faith said. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. So not what I meant. I'm not in charge chick anymore. I think B here needs to just.... chill out for a little bit, take a siesta or something. But I'm not the one you want."  
  
"Maybe we need a vote...." Kennedy said. "To see who wants Faith to have a turn in charge."  
  
"No." Buffy said sternly.  
  
"No, what?"  
  
"No. You don't get to vote until I've had my chance to pal around, you know, get everybody drunk. See, I didn't get this was a popularity contest. I should have equal time to bake them cookies, braid their hair...."  
  
"Learn their names?" Faith asked.  
  
"You're just lovin' this, aren't you?"  
  
"You have no idea what I'm feeling."  
  
"Come in here, take everything that I have because my back's turned.... You did it before. Did you tell them that? Did you tell them how you used to kill people for fun? Hey, you guys think that's nifty?"  
  
"Buffy, that's enough!" Giles said.  
  
"I didn't come here to take anything away from you, but I'm not gonna be your little lapdog, either. I came here to beat the other guy, to do right, however it works. I know I can sort of lead here.... But the real question is.... can you follow?" Faith said.  
  
"So we vote." Wood said.  
  
"Wait. Guys...." Buffy looked around. Anya crossed her arms and stared back with pursed lips and Willow looked away. Buffy searched their faces. "I can't watch you just throw away everything that...." She looked at Xander and at Dawn who weren't meeting her glance. Buffy held her head up high. "I know I'm right about this. I just need a little.... I can't stay here and watch her lead you into some disaster."  
  
Dawn walked up to Buffy. "Then you can't stay here. Buffy, I love you, but you were right. We have to be together on this. You weren't a part of this before and you can't be a part of it now. So I need you to leave. I'm sorry, but this is my house, too."  
  
Buffy looked around, then turned and grabbed her coat, walking out the door. Faith came after her. "Hey. Look, I swear I didn't want it to go this way...."  
  
"Don't." Buffy said.  
  
"I mean it, I...."  
  
"Don't.... be afraid to lead them. Whether you wanted it or not, their lives are yours. It's only gonna get harder. Protect them, but lead them." Faith walked back inside the house. Buffy walked down the front walk alone, tears staining her face. 


	78. End of Days

Chapter 78  
  
The room was bare save for a few tapestries on the wall. A thin band of sunlight streamed in from a high window. Angel looked at Spike and Andrew, wanting to desperately get out of there and tell Buffy what he and the other two men had discovered. Spike sat slumped against the wall, bored out of his mind. Andrew lied on the floor on his belly, his chin resting in his hands, lazily swinging his legs back and forth.  
  
"I spy with my little eye something that begins with a T." He said.  
  
"Tapestry." Spike said.  
  
"Hey, good one. How did you..."  
  
"Tapestry's the only thing in the whole room." Angel said.  
  
"Ah. So say you but I say, look deeper."  
  
"I'll look deep into your jugular, is what I'll look at."  
  
"Don't spaz out."  
  
"I'm not.... don't say another word."  
  
Andrew was silent for all of five seconds. "Rock/paper/scissors?"  
  
"What's the matter with you? Don't you understand what's happening?" Spike asked.  
  
"Yeah. We're waiting here till it's night again so you can ride in the van without exploding."  
  
"And every minute we're stuck here, the Buffy's out there facing hell knows what." Angel said.  
  
"Come on, what's the worst thing that could happen to her?"  
  
Angel shot Andrew a murderous glare and he shut up. Finally, dusk came and Angel sped home. They all walked inside the house. Angel didn't sense Buffy in the house anywhere. Andrew walked into the kitchen with a, "We're back!"  
  
"Spike, Angel." Giles said as way of greeting.  
  
"Hey." Spike said.  
  
"Hi, everybody." Andrew said. "I missed you guys a lot. Sorry we took so long getting back from our mission mission but we had to wait out the sun and, well, I think our mission went very well. We rode in Angel's van, which was very cool, and played some amusing games and, oh, we got some information. But do you know what? I really need to urinate." He dashed off toward the bathroom.  
  
"He's a breath of fresh air, isn't he? Thank god we don't breathe." Spike said to Angel.  
  
"I think we got a lead. Where's Buffy?" Angel asked.  
  
"She's not here right now." Dawn said.  
  
"When's she get back?" Spike asked.  
  
"While you guys were gone, we all got together and talked out some disagreements that we were having and eventually, after much discussion, Buffy decided that it would be best for all of us if she took a little time off. A little breather." Willow said.  
  
Angel understood immedietly what had happened. "Uh-huh. I see. You've been practicing that little speech long, haven't you? So Buffy took some time off right in the middle of the apocalypse and it was her decision?"  
  
"Well, we all decided." Xander said.  
  
"Oh, yeah, you all decided." Angel was disgusted. "You sad, sad, ungrateful traitors. Who do you think you are?"  
  
"We're her friends. We just want...." Willow said.  
  
"Oh, that's wonderful of you Willow. You're her friends and you betray her like this?"  
  
"You don't understand." Giles said.  
  
"You know, I think I do. Giles. You used to be the big man, didn't you? The teacher, all full of wisdom. Now she's surpassed you and you can't handle it. She has saved your lives again and again. She's DIED for you. And this is how you thank her?"  
  
"Angel...."  
  
"No! You have no clue what she's been through in the last few weeks. It's more than any of you could handle. She's the strongest person you've got here and you throw her out of her own house?"  
  
"Hey, why don't you take it down a notch or two? The time for speech- giving is over, Angel-face." Faith said.  
  
"Oh, is that right Faith?"  
  
"Yeah, that's right. Save your lack of breath."  
  
"All right." Angel decked Faith. Caught off-guard, she fell back against the counter. "Where is she?"  
  
"I don't know." Faith said, getting ready to attack Angel.  
  
He held up his hands in surrender. "I don't know who you people think you are, but guess what. Where Buffy goes, so goes me. You just lost another one of your best." Angel walked out of the house and slammed the door. He got outside and closed his eyes, pushing his senses out. After a second, he caught her scent and followed the tug on his soul.  
  
Buffy had walked far before she had settled in some stranger's house. Hell, she had kicked him out of his own house and raided the man's kitchen. Why the hell not, it seemed to be what everyone else was doing nowadays. Now, she lay on the stranger's bed. Moonlight was her only illumination. The shotgun lied next to her on the bed. There was a knock at the front door. Buffy didn't react. Then the creak of the door and approaching footsteps made her look up.  
  
"There you are." Angel said softly. "Do you realize I could just walk in here, no invite needed? This town really is theirs now, isn't it?" Buffy looked away from him. "I heard. I was over there. They had no right. Now Faith's their leader again. So did she just decide?"  
  
"It wasn't just Faith. It was all of them and it's not like they were wrong. Please leave." Buffy said.  
  
"No, I'm not leaving you. I promised I wouldn't. Here.... Maybe this'll change your tune. I came here because I've got something to tell you. You were right. Caleb is trying to protect something from you and I think you were on the ball all the way. I think it's at the vineyard." Buffy just stared at him. "So? You were right. Buffy?"  
  
"I don't feel very right."  
  
Angel squatted in front of her and stroked her cheek. "You're not fooling me."  
  
"What do you even mean?"  
  
"You're not a quitter."  
  
"Watch me."  
  
"You were their leader and you still are. This isn't something you gave up. It's something they took."  
  
"And the difference is?"  
  
"We can take it back."  
  
"No."  
  
"No?"  
  
"You mean 'no' as in 'eventually'?" Angel joked, trying to get any kind of reaction out of her.  
  
"You really have problems with that word, don't you?"  
  
"You can get them back. We both can together."  
  
"Can, maybe. Should? I'm just so tired...."  
  
"I understand that." Angel knew just what she needed to hear. "They need you. It's chaos over there without you."  
  
"You never were a good liar."  
  
"No! It is.... there's junk food cartons, sleeping bags not rolled up.... everyone's very scared and unkempt."  
  
"Sounds dire."  
  
"Ok, I'm not a great liar. Not when it comes to you, but they do need you Buffy. I didn't see a lot. I came, hit Faith and left."  
  
The last part perked Buffy up. "Really? I mean, I'm not glad on that...."  
  
"Say the word and she's a footnote in history. I'll make it look like a painful accident." Angel smiled, but Buffy didn't.  
  
"That's my problem. I say the word, some girl dies. Every time."  
  
"There's always casualties in a war."  
  
"Casualties.... it just sounds so casual. These are girls. That I got killed. I cut myself off from them, all of them. I knew I was going to lose some of them and I didn't.... You know what? I'm still making excuses. I've always cut myself off, I've always.... being the Slayer made me different but it's my fault I stayed that way. People are always trying to connect to me but I just.... slip away."  
  
"I wouldn't know."  
  
"Can I please just go to sleep?"  
  
"No! You listen to me. I've been alive longer than you and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine and done things I really prefer you didn't. I don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker in the past few years. I followed my blood, which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain, so I've made a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong calls. Two hundred plus years and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of. You." Angel took Buffy's tear stained face in his hands. "Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. I know you're soul and I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You are a hell of a woman. You're the one Buffy. You're my one."  
  
"I don't want to be the one."  
  
"I don't want to be this good-looking and athletic. We all have crosses to bear." She smiled a little in spite of herself. "Well, I guess I'm staying here tonight cause I kicked myself out of the house." Angel sat down on the bed after he took off his duster and folded it over a chair. The way they were facing each other was very reminiscent of their first night together. Buffy wanted him now more than ever. They had been apart physically for a couple of months now. Angel was so scared that Angelus could come out that he was afraid to touch her wrong. Buffy scooted closer to him and brought his mouth tenderly to hers. "Buffy, maybe we shouldn't...."  
  
"Shh. I'm not scared Angel. He's not coming back." She looked directly in his eyes. "Just kiss me." She closed the distance between their mouths and Angel laid gently back on the bed, allowing Buffy to take the lead this time. It was just as gentle and full of passion as the first time. When it was over, Buffy lay sleeping in Angel's arms. He was awake and watching her. He gently stroked her hair, then pressed his lips to her forehead. They were covered by the warm comforter and Buffy felt that underneath those sheets and conforter and in Angel's arms, nothing could ever harm her.  
  
Buffy woke up in the pale dawn light. She blinked trying to orient herself in the strange house and found Angel sleeping in her arms. He was curled up like a manly baby. She smiled and slid gently away from him. She slipped on her clothes and went to find a pen and some paper. After the note was written and propped up against the pillow next to Angel's head, Buffy laid a kiss on his forehead before stepping out in the rising morning sun, heading for the vinyard.  
  
Angel woke a little while later, searching the bed for Buffy. He lifted his head and found the bed empty save for him. This wasn't something he had expected. Instead of him not being there in the morning, Buffy wasn't there. He sat up and rubbed his head. Which was when a note slid onto his hand. He lifted the paper and read it.  
  
Dearest Angel,  
  
I love you. And I am positive that you love me. You confessed it to me just last night. I've never heard more beautiful words in all of my life. You gave me the strength I need to carry out my mission. You know where I'm at. I don't even have to tell you. Don't come for me. I'll come back to you. Meet me back at the house. Again, I love you.  
  
Yours forever,  
  
Buffy  
  
"Damn it Buffy!" Angel threw the covers off of himself and pulled on his clothes. He rushed over to the house and found Giles, Willow, Andrew, Dawn, Anya, and Xander sitting around the living room. "Is Buffy here?"  
  
"Angel!" Willow said, startled.  
  
"Is she here?"  
  
"No. I thought you were with her." Xander said. "Where she goes so goes you? Isn't that what you said?"  
  
"Shut up Xander. I need to find her. Where did Faith go?"  
  
"She took a bunch of the potentials to take the fight to them. They're in the sewers." Willow said.  
  
Angel didn't even say thank you. He was running out the door and headed for the nearest manhole to the vinyard. Angel knew that Buffy didn't want him to follow her, but he couldn't exactly help it when the potentials were in danger. There was an explosion and he felt the ground underneath him shake. This had to be the place. He ran about a block down and jumped in a manhole. There were no signs of the potentials, Faith, or the explosion. So, he walked around and tried to sniff them out. Suddenly, the girls, broken and bloodied found him.  
  
"Angel! Help!" Amanda said.  
  
"What happened?" Angel asked, helping the girls over.  
  
"There was an explosion and we're all hurt pretty bad. Some of the girls are dead."  
  
"Where's Faith?"  
  
A couple of the girls climbed the debris pile and crawled down the other side, lifting Faith over and easing her down gently into Angel's awaiting arms. Soon all the girls were over, with Vi bringing up the rear. As she swung her legs over the top and started down, a Turok-han vampire suddenly leapt to the top of the rubble, its snarling fangs inches from her neck. Angel yanked her down and away from the feral creature.  
  
"Group together! Form a circle. Nobody panic. It's all of us, one of him. We can take one of these things." Kennedy said.  
  
"No. Get behind me. You're not strong enough to take one of these things." Angel looked behind him. "Or two."  
  
The Turok-han in front Angel charge and he moved to meet it head-on. The other Turok-han leapt off the stairs and tackled Kennedy from behind, scattering the other girls. Kennedy flipped the creature over her back and backpedaled, terrified.  
  
"There's another one!" Amanda yelled.  
  
"Move, move, move! Up and over!" Angel yelled, kickin the Turok-han away from him.  
  
"Not that one! That one!" She turned her flashlight on a third Turok-han dropping down a metal ladder from above. The beast snarled and seized one of the girls, throwing her to the ground. The three Turok-hans all leapt on the hapless girl, their claws slashing and tearing her to pieces. Angel attacked, going into vamp face as he did. He managed to get two off the downed girl as Kennedy grabbed a lance tipped with a curved blade and turned to attack the feral vampires with it. One of the creatures broke off from slaughtering the girl and charged Kennedy as she swung the blade over and down. It's clawed hand stopped the lance and snapped it in two, its other hand shooting out to seize her by the throat and lift her off the ground. Angel tried to get to her, but suddenly the rest of the Turok-Han group was on him. As Kennedy gasped, choking to death, a chunk of the ceiling suddenly broke free and crashed to the floor. The Turok-han dropped Kennedy and turned to face Buffy as she dropped down from above.  
  
Buffy looked around and held her new bladed weapon at the ready. She noticed Angel fighting off two of them. "Hey!" The three vampires turned and charged her. She spun, her moves almost ballet-like as the blade bit into their flesh. She decapitated one and stabbed another through the heart with the pointed wooden end of the shaft. Both instantly disintegrated into ash. The third grabbed her from behind but she flipped up and over, then brought her blade around in an arc, slicing through its throat. As the dust dissipated, Buffy turned to Angel as he smiled. "Get the wounded. We're leaving."  
  
"Are there more?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"There's always more." Angel replied. "Don't question. Just move."  
  
They got everyone back to the house. Buffy ran upstairs and made sure there was room for Faith in Buffy's bed. Downstairs, injured girls were everywhere on the floor. Buffy, Angel, Anya, Dawn, Willow and the others helped treat them with what limited supplies they had.  
  
"Will, come here. She's losing a lot of blood." Buffy said.  
  
"Got it." Willow said, coming over to the girl.  
  
Buffy saw Giles and Xander carry Faith in through the front door and she and Angel ran over to them. "The room upstairs is ready for her."  
  
"Good." Giles said.  
  
"I hope we're in time." Xander added.  
  
"Is she okay? Is she gonna be okay?" Amanda asked.  
  
"I'm sure she'll be fine. Right?" Kennedy asked Buffy.  
  
"Careful!" Xander said.  
  
"Just mind her head." Giles said.  
  
"I'll be up in a second." Buffy said.  
  
Kennedy followed Buffy into the living room. "You guys heal fast, right? You Slayers?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So she'll be okay?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"What's with the axe thing?" Caridad asked.  
  
Buffy hefted the weapon, holding it up for them to see. "I took it from Caleb. It might be important."  
  
"Let's hope!" Vi said.  
  
"I think we got punished." Amanda said.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked, truely confused.  
  
"We.... we followed her. And it was...." Kennedy said.  
  
"It didn't work out." Vi finished.  
  
"You guys, it was a trap. It's not her fault. That could have just as easily happened to me." Buffy said.  
  
"So are you.... are you like back?" Caridad asked.  
  
Buffy shakes her head, weary, as she headed upstairs. "I don't know. I guess I'm not leaving."  
  
"So we got a plan now or anything?" Kennedy asked.  
  
"Yeah, there's a plan. Get ready. Times up." Buffy entered to find Faith on the bed, Xander and Angel sitting on either side of her, with several potentials and Giles looking on.  
  
"Is she breathing okay?" Xander asked.  
  
Angel nodded. "Still unconscious, though."  
  
"We've still got work to do." Buffy said. She led them into Willow's room and handed the axe thing to Giles. He held the weapon up, examining it closely, fascinated by it. "I think it's maybe some kind of scythe. The only thing I know for sure is that it made Caleb back off in a hurry."  
  
"So it's true. Scythe matters." Willow said.  
  
"And ignoring that, I'd just like to point out that this is really quite ingenious." Giles said.  
  
"Kills strong bodies three ways." Angel said.  
  
"And you say you sense something when you hold it?" Willow asked Buffy.  
  
"Not much but it's strong. And I knew it belonged to me. I just knew it." Buffy said.  
  
"In addition to being ancient, it's clearly mystical." Giles said.  
  
"Yeah, I figured that one out when I King Arthured it out of the stone."  
  
"So maybe it's like some kind of traditional Slayer weapon." Angel said.  
  
"I can't imagine how something like this could exist without my having heard of it." Giles said.  
  
"Well, the good guys aren't traditionally known for their communication skills." Buffy said. Giles caught Buffy's look and gave her a nod of understanding. "Right. Any chance that it might be something other than a tool for killing things?"  
  
"Well, The First's guys clearly wanted it out of that stone. It's not just a tool. It's important. We need to find out whatever we can. Who made it? When? Why? Does it have a name? I don't know.... a credit report? Just find out fast."  
  
"We'll start work immediately." Giles said.  
  
"Yeah, don't worry, Buffy, we'll find out everything there is to know." Willow said.  
  
"Good, because right now, that thing's all we've got going for us." Buffy started to walk out, but she remembered something. "Hey, um.... Take pictures of it and send it to this e-mail." She handed Willow a card that she had found in the limo. It was the number, address, and e-mail of Wolfram and Hart. "I'll call them and let them know you're sending it." She walked out. 


	79. End of Days part 2, Chosen

Chapter 79  
  
Buffy looked at Xander as he stared at her. She, Xander, and Angel were in the kitchen. Buffy had just asked Xander to do her and Angel a favor before the phone had rung. "I'll tell her right away. Thank you." Buffy hung up. "Wolfram and Hart. They're e-mailing what they found out about the weapon." She took Angel's hand and looked at Xander. "So, you got it?"  
  
"Wait. I'm not to the 'got it' place yet. I'm still in the neighborhood of 'you gotta be kidding'." Xander said.  
  
"You know it's for the good."  
  
"I don't. Buffy, do you get that? If I do this, that's it for me for this fight. I feel like you guys are putting me out to pasture."  
  
"Of course we're not putting you out to pasture. What does that even mean?"  
  
"Well, you know, it's like.... when a cow gets old and loses an eye or its ability to be milked. The farmer takes it and puts it in a different pasture so it won't have to.... fight.... with the priests. Look, I don't need you to protect me."  
  
"We're not." Angel said.  
  
"I got hurt but I'm not done. I can still fight."  
  
"I know. That's why we need you to do this. Xander, we need someone that we can count on no matter what happens."  
  
"I just always thought that I would.... that I would be there with you guys, you know, for the end."  
  
"Hey!" Buffy said.  
  
"Not that this is the end!"  
  
"Thanks a lot."  
  
"No, no, no.... by 'the end' I meant in a heroic, uplifting way. See I'm still optimistic. You're just thrown off a little by this gritty-looking eye patch."  
  
"I know what you meant."  
  
"I should be at your side. Well, the side that's not taken by Angel. That's all I'm saying."  
  
"You will be. You and Angel are my strength, Xander. You two are the reason I've made it this far. I trust you with my life. That's why I need you to do this for us."  
  
"Ok."  
  
"Also, you can't shoot a bow and arrow anymore and every time you pick up a sword, I worry that you're going to break one of our good lamps." Angel joked.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Don't look at me. You're the one who said we're gonna die."  
  
"I never said that we were going to die. I implied that we were going to die. It's totally different."  
  
"Yeah, okay. Sure."  
  
"Besides, if you die, Buff, I'll just bring you back to life. That's what I do."  
  
Buffy chuckled and headed upstairs with Angel to check on Faith. She stopped by Willow's room to tell Will to check her e-mail and to get the scythe. Buffy wanted Faith to feel the power. She walked in to her room. Faith was awake. She lay in bed. Buffy smiled. "Hey, how are you?"  
  
"I feel like I've been blown up."  
  
"Understandable."  
  
"Whatcha got there?"  
  
"Something that I took from Caleb. Thought it was interesting."  
  
"Here," Buffy handed Faith the scythe. Faith took it and closed her eyes. The ghost of a smile played on her lips. "You feel it, too, don't you?"  
  
"Damn.... and damn. That's something."  
  
"I know."  
  
"It's old.... it's strong and it feels like.... like it's mine." Faith locked eyes with Buffy for a beat, then set it down on the bed. "I guess that means it's yours."  
  
"It belongs to the Slayer."  
  
"Slayer in charge.... which I'm guessing is you."  
  
"I honestly don't know. Does it matter?"  
  
"It never mattered to me. Somebody has to lead. Let's vote for Chao-ahn. It's harder to lead people into a deathtrap if you don't speak English."  
  
"It wasn't your fault." Angel said.  
  
"I'm really not looking for forgiveness."  
  
"You're not?"  
  
"What do you guys want me to say? I blew it."  
  
"You didn't blow it." Buffy said.  
  
"Tell that to...."  
  
"People die. You lead them into battle, they're going to die. It doesn't matter how ready you are or how smart you are.... war is about death. Needless, stupid death."  
  
"So here's the laugh riot. My whole life I've been a loner."  
  
"Is that the funny part? Did I miss something?"  
  
"I'm trying to...."  
  
"Sorry! Sorry. Go on."  
  
"No ties, no buddies, no relationships that lasted longer than.... well, Robin lasted pretty long. Boy's got stamina."  
  
"Principal Wood? And you? And in our...." Buffy and Angel flew off the bed. "Ok, so.... Was that the funny part?"  
  
"Okay, the point. Me, by myself, all the time. I'm looking at you, everything you have and, I don't know.... jealous. Then there I am, everybody's looking to me, trusting me to lead them and I've never felt so alone in my entire life."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And that's you, every day. Isn't it?"  
  
"I love my friends. I'm very grateful for them. I love Angel so much.... But that's the price of being a Slayer."  
  
"There's only supposed to be one. Maybe that's why you and I can never get along. We're not supposed to exist together."  
  
"Also, you went evil and were killing people."  
  
"Good point. But you did too."  
  
Buffy nodded. "But you're right. I mean, I guess everyone's alone but being a Slayer? There's a burden we can't share."  
  
"And no one else can feel it." Faith looked at Angel. He shook his head. Faith sighed and looked at Buffy. "Thank god we're hot chicks with superpowers."  
  
"Takes the edge off."  
  
"Comforting."  
  
"Mm-hmmm."  
  
"Buffy! Angel!" Willow called.  
  
"Coming." Angel called. "We'll be back."  
  
They walked into Willow's room. The red head turned to look at Buffy and Angel. "What papers? What folder?"  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Wolfram and Hart said you have some papers that could help us out with this."  
  
"They didn't send anything about the sythe?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Not yet. They haven't found much. They just gave us some different websites to check out. What papers?"  
  
Angel slapped his forehead. "Damn it! We left it in the limo."  
  
"Ohhh.... Those papers." Buffy said. "I knew that. I'll call and...."  
  
"No, I'll just go get them. I don't trust Wolfram and Hart too much to bring us back the full papers and that amulet thing."  
  
"You sure? I could go with you."  
  
"You're needed here."  
  
Buffy nodded and walked Angel out to the van. It was only ten in the morning. She held his hands, afraid to let him go. "Last time you took a road trip, I got kicked out of the house."  
  
"I don't think you'll have to worry about it this time. You're secure." He kissed her gently. "Be safe."  
  
"I'll try. I can't gurantee anything, but I promise I'll try."  
  
"Good." He gently grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms around him and held tightly, laying a kiss on the exposed part of his chest where his shirt was unbuttoned. "You better watch it or I'll take you with me and we'll have some fun in the limo on the way back."  
  
"Oh...." She kissed his chest again and added a little lick.  
  
"Ooook...." Angel kissed her one last time and then got in the van. "I'll be back in a few hours."  
  
"I love you."  
  
"I love you." He started the car and Buffy backed away. She gave a little wave as he pulled out of the drive way and headed for LA.  
  
Later that night, Buffy took the scythe and headed to the cemetery. It seemed to be leading her there. So, Buffy walked her familiar path through the graveyard. She came across a wrought-iron gate overgrown with dead vines and opened it, curious. Inside, she found an ancient stone pyramid that she had never seen until now. The iron door was topped with a runic symbol. Buffy approached and kicked it inward, sending it sliding down the a set of stone steps and into a ceremonial chamber. She entered to find a pagan temple lit by torches set in wall sconces. Jars and baskets were clustered in the corners. Buffy peered into the shadows, looking all around her for some clue as to what this place was. Suddenly a voice rang out from behind a sheer curtain and an elderly woman, dressed in the robes of an ancient culture appeared.  
  
"I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten how young you would be. Comes from the waiting. The mind plays tricks. I see you've found our weapon."  
  
"Who are you?" Buffy asked.  
  
"One of many. Well.... time was. Now I'm alone in the world."  
  
"So what are you? Some kind of ghost?"  
  
"No, I'm as real as you are. Just.... well, let me put it this way: I look good for my age. I've been waiting." She held out her hands and Buffy gave her the scythe. "You pulled it out of the rock. I was one of those who put it in there."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"A weapon. A scythe. Forged in secrecy for one like you who.... I'm sorry. What's your name?"  
  
"Buffy."  
  
"No, really." Buffy merely shrugged and the woman continued. "We forged it in secrecy and kept it hidden from the Shadow Men who...."  
  
"Yeah, met those guys. Didn't really care too much for 'em even when I was evil."  
  
"Evil?"  
  
"It was a thing.... Spell actually. Long story."  
  
"Ah, yes. Then you know. And they became the Watchers and the Watchers watched the Slayers.... but we were watching them."  
  
"Oh, so you're like.... what are you?"  
  
"Guardians. Women who want to help and protect you. We forged this centuries ago, halfway around the world."  
  
"Hence the Luxor Casino theme."  
  
"Forged there, it was put to use right here.... to kill the last pure demon that walked upon the earth. The rest were already driven under. And then there were men here, and then there were monks. And then there was a town.... and now there is you. And the scythe remained hidden."  
  
"I don't understand. How is it possible that we didn't know any of this?"  
  
"We hid, too. We had to until now. We're the last surprise."  
  
"Does this mean I can win?"  
  
"That is really up to you. This is a powerful weapon." She handed the scythe back to Buffy.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"But you already have weapons. Use it wisely and perhaps you can beat back the rising dark. One way or another, it can only mean an end is truly near."  
  
Suddenly a pair of hands shot out from behind the curtain and seized the Guardian's head, twisting it violently and snapping her neck. The old woman's lifeless body dropped to the ground to reveal Caleb standing behind her. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch that last part on account of her neck snappin' and all. Did she say the end is near.... or here?"  
  
Then he attacked. Buffy wrestled with Caleb as he tried to wrest control of the scythe from her. She recovered and whacked him in the side of the head with one end of the weapon, then hit him in the gut with the other, then again with the blad. Three fast shots. Caleb let go and Buffy leapt backward. He rushed her and unleashed a punch that shattered a stone column to dust on contact.  
  
"You're not slipping out of this fight, girl. Can't you see? You can't stop me. I can just keep going back for more. It's like being re-born." Caleb taunted.  
  
Buffy lunged at Caleb with the scythe and this time he ducked under its blade, avoiding contact. Buffy pressed the attack, swinging and thrusting. Caleb couldn't be touched. He smiled and stood upright: a target. Buffy swung the axe blade right at his neck and Caleb, without looking, shot a hand up and caught the scythe in mid-swing, stopping it cold. With his other hand, Caleb punched Buffy so hard she flew backward into the far wall, sending up a cloud of dust. She dropped the scythe on impact.  
  
Caleb and Buffy both reached for the scythe simultaneously. Caleb got there first and held the scythe up for all of a split-second as Buffy kicked it from his grip and caught it in the same motion. She spun, catching Caleb behind the knees with the scythe's shaft, and lifted him off his feet. He crashed to the dusty floor. Buffy spun the scythe, stake-end first, and thrusted it downward straight at Caleb's throat. He caught it an inch above his face and twisted hard, flipping Buffy over. Now it was her turn to hit the ground. Caleb leapt to his feet and Buffy staggered to hers, just in time to receive a devastating punch to the face. It sent her reeling backward. Caleb just kept hitting her, a maniacal grin on his face. Buffy tried to defend herself but she was running out of steam. She lay on the floor, writhing in pain as Caleb circled her, not even out of breath.  
  
"You know, I gave you ample warning. I told you not to interfere. And you chose not to heed." Caleb said. Buffy charged across the room at him and he deftly side-stepped, using her own momentum to flip her up onto a sarcophagus-like stone platform. She kicked him backward but he quickly recovered and lifted her up, hurling her through a stone column. She was nearly unconscious. Caleb scooped up the scythe and twirled it in his hands as he stood over her. "I was kinda hopin' it'd go this way." He raise the scythe over his head for the killing blow.  
  
"HEY!" Caleb turned and took a massive blow to the head, sending him careening across the room and into the wall. He dropped the scythe and landed on the floor, dazed and half-conscious. Buffy looked up to find Angel standing over her, his hand held out to help her up. She took it and he lifted her to her feet. "I told you not to get in any trouble."  
  
"I couldn't help it." Buffy said.  
  
Caleb got to his feet, royally pissed. Angel moved toward him but Buffy held him back. "Ah. This is one of those things you have to finish yourself, right?"  
  
"Really kinda is. Sorry, I know how you like to fight off the bad guys that like to beat me up, but he's overstepped his bounds with me."  
  
Angel backed away with a smirk and leaned casually against a stone column, enjoying the show, as Caleb stalked toward Buffy. She scooped the scythe up from the ground and stood her ground. "You are so gonna lose this time."  
  
Caleb rushed Buffy and she swung the scythe around in a lightning-quick series of blows. Caleb dodged them all and wrenched the weapon from her grasp, kicking her backward into the wall. He aimed the pointed stake end at her and thrust forward. She dodged at the last instant and the shaft slammed into the rock, embedded up to the hilt. Buffy hurled Caleb away and ripped the scythe from the wall, charging at him full speed.  
  
Caleb swung at her, one punch after another, but Buffy ducked and weaved, then whipped the scythe's blade around sideways in a deadly arc, catching Caleb full in the chest. He stopped, stunned, as Buffy ripped the blade back out, opening him up from one side of his body to the other. He staggered backward, laughing at her for a brief moment, before his eyes went wide and he collapsed to the floor. His eyes stared sightlessly up at her.  
  
Buffy turned to Angel, winded. "See, under control." She walked to Angel, who steadied her.  
  
"Well, at least you could tell me you missed me. I was gone all day and...." Buffy looked up at Angel and silenced him when their lips met in a kiss, tender at first, but building to real passion. Angel wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, pressing her gently against a column and winding his fingers in her golden hair. After a minute, Buffy pulled away and looked at Angel. He smiled. "Well, I guess that qualifies as happy to see me."  
  
"I just want to bask." There was a short pause. "Okay, I'm basked. God I missed you today."  
  
"I stopped by the house and they said you left a little after I did. Nobody knew where you went."  
  
"The mansion. I just wanted some time to myself.... only this time willingly. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Not saving the damsel in distress, that's for sure."  
  
"Oh, you know me. Not much with the damseling." She reached down and picked up the scythe. "But I meant.... How'd you find me?"  
  
"How do I usually find you?"  
  
"I swear, you vampires. Didn't anybody ever tell you the whole 'smelling people' thing's a little gross?" Buffy smiled and then went back to business. "Did you get it?"  
  
Angel walked over to the steps and picked up the file. "Right here. The driver didn't even notice it was there."  
  
"Good. I really think we're going to need it. The First's army is getting bigger."  
  
"Yeah, well, it failed once and I'm going to tell you...."  
  
Caleb suddenly leapt up and clubbed Angel viciously in the head with a carved wooden idol. Buffy stared at him in shock. He glared at her wildly, his eyes jet black and leaking a bloody ichor. It streamed down his cheeks and out of his nose and mouth. "Are you ready to finish this, bitch?"  
  
Buffy barely raised the scythe in time to deflect a crushing blow from the wooden idol Caleb wielded like a club. She flipped backwards and came up only to catch a swiping blow to the head. Caleb tossed the idol aside and stalked toward her as she jumped to her feet, the scythe held at the ready. "Okay, how many times do I have to kill you? Ballpark figure?"  
  
"You understand nothing." Buffy swung the blade at him but he caught the shaft and held it, using it as an anchor as he punched her repeatedly in the face. Then he brought his fist from below in an uppercut so powerful it lifted Buffy off her feet and slammed her into the ceiling. Caleb dropped Buffy to the ground, then lifted her off her feet by her neck, his hands choking off her air. "You think you have power over me?" With a cry of rage, Buffy broke his grip on her throat and kicked him backward with a roundhouse blow to the head. He regained his feet and turned toward her. "Stupid girl. You'll never stop me. You don't have the ba...."  
  
Buffy swung the axe low in an upward arc and buried the blade between Caleb's legs. "Who does nowadays?" His mouth dropped open in an O of shock and agony. Using all her preternatural strength, Buffy ripped upward with the blade, slicing Caleb's body neatly in two, ending him for good.  
  
Across the room, Angel got to his feet and brushed himself off. He turned around, searching the room for Caleb. "Okay, now I'm pissed. Where is he?"  
  
Buffy looked down at her feet, first to one side, then the other. "He had to split." She held a straight face for a beat, then cracked up. Angel chuckled, happy to see Buffy laughing. Then he removed the silver amulet with a multi-faceted crystal at its center from his pocket. "Remember this?"  
  
"I can already tell you, I have nothing that goes with that."  
  
"It's not for you."  
  
"Splainy?"  
  
"I read a lot of the files, but I don't know everything. I do know that it's very powerful and probably very dangerous. It has a purifying power.... cleansing power.... possibly scrubbing bubbles. The translation is.... anyway, it bestows strength to the right person who wears it."  
  
"And the right person is?"  
  
"Someone ensouled but stronger than human. A champion. As in me."  
  
"Or me."  
  
"No. I don't know nearly enough about this to risk you wearing it. Besides, you've got you're real cool axe-thing going for you."  
  
Buffy paused. "Maybe neither of us."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You said it yourself that you don't know enough about it to risk me wearing it. Why the hell would I let you wear it?"  
  
"Then who else is going to wear it?" Angel paused as Buffy looked at him. "Spike?" She nodded. "Why him?"  
  
"Why not him? He's ensouled. He's just as strong as you are."  
  
"You would risk him?"  
  
"I won't risk you. You won't risk me. What other choice do we have? Besides, I think Spike deserves this. He's fought by my side.... our side for a long time. You've even learned to put some trust in him." Without letting the discussion go any further, Buffy turned and walked out into the night. Angel followed. "Have you talked to the gang in LA? If we lose.... if this thing gets past Sunnydale, then it's days, maybe hours, before the rest of the world goes. We need a second front."  
  
"I talked to them and they said they're ready. Gunn's even getting his old gang ready for it."  
  
"Good."  
  
"So, what did you do all day at the mansion?"  
  
"I thought about things. I worked through a lot. I even thought about us."  
  
"Neither of us should do that. It never ends well."  
  
"I'm not breaking up with you. I could never do that, but I figured some stuff out. I'm definitely not getting fat grandchildren in the offing now that Connor's gone. But I don't think that really matters anymore now. You know, in the midst of all this insanity, a couple of things are actually starting to make sense. I'm not done growing up yet."  
  
"And the other?"  
  
"The other being us.... you and me." Buffy sighed and stopped, leaning against a large headstone. "I always feared there was something wrong with me. You know, because I couldn't make it work. But then you and I found each other again and we're still going strong. I always thought that I wasn't meant to be with.... well, anyone."  
  
"Because you're the Slayer?"  
  
"Because.... ok. Here's how I thought of it. This all goes full circle. I'm cookie dough. I'm not done baking. I'm not finished becoming whoever the hell it is I'm going to turn out to be. I make it through this and the next thing and the next thing and maybe one day I turn around and realize I'm ready. I'm cookies. And then, you know, you'll be there to eat m.... or enjoy warm, delicious cookie-me. And you know what I realized? I finally remembered exactly what heaven felt like. It was knowing you would always love me. It was knowing that no matter what, I would be loved by you and everyone else in my real family. I couldn't put it into words until just now, when I saw you and felt you. Jasmine.... Connor.... it was all just there to bring us closer together."  
  
"So, you've finally decided that you're ready to be the one?"  
  
"Yeah. I am. I want to be your one."  
  
"Well, at least I'm the one that gets to...." Angel paused and looked at Buffy. "Do I have to go with the cookie analogy?"  
  
Buffy smiled and wrapped herself in his arms. "I know that you'll keep your promise."  
  
"I will never leave you Buffy."  
  
"And I take comfort in knowing that you'll be there to help me through everything."  
  
"Good." Angel lifted her chin and kissed her tenderly. As she laid her head back on his chest, he said, "Let's go home. I think we both need rest."  
  
"Limo?"  
  
"Yeah. The van's at the Hyperion."  
  
"Yay! Comfy leather seats."  
  
"At the expense of an evil law firm." He took her hand and they headed back towards the gates of the graveyard. 


	80. Chosen part 2

Chapter 80  
  
Angel walked in the house in front of Buffy. She had held onto her scythe proudly all the way home. They had sent the driver back to LA. He had protested at first, but they had spooked him into leaving. Dawn walked down the stairs, surprising Buffy and Angel. She moved past Angel to Buffy and stared at her angrily, then kicked her lightly in the shin.  
  
"Ow." Buffy said.  
  
"Dumbass." Dawn said.  
  
Buffy turned to Xander sitting in the dining room, looking pained and sheepish with Anya pressing an ice pack to his head. "Don't look at me. This is a Summers thing. It's all very violent." He said.  
  
"If you get killed, I'm telling." Buffy said playfully to Dawn. She and Angel went into the dining room and set the scythe down on table where Willow and Giles were researching.  
  
Willow looked at Angel. "Did you the papers or find anything on the scythe?"  
  
"It slices, dices, and makes julienne preacher." Buffy said proudly.  
  
"Caleb?" Giles asked.  
  
"She cut him in half." Angel said.  
  
"Well, all right!" Willow said.  
  
"He had that coming." Anya said.  
  
"Hey, party in my eye socket and everyone's invited!" Xander said. Everyone stared akwardly at him. "Sometimes I shouldn't say words."  
  
"Where's Faith and Spike?" Buffy asked.  
  
"Faith is still resting and Spike is downstairs." Giles said.  
  
"What's he doing?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Buffy looked at Angel and he handed her the amulet. "I'll be back." She headed towards the basement. Angel followed, but stayed at the top of the stairs.  
  
Spike was downstairs punching the punching bag furiously. "Hey there luv."  
  
"Hi. Whatcha doin?" Buffy asked.  
  
He stopped and looked at her. "Figured I'd go ahead and start prepping for the big battle."  
  
"Good."  
  
"So, what'd you come down here for? You and I haven't really socialized since you and Angel got back from LA."  
  
Buffy looked at the top of the stairs. "Angel, can you give us a few?" He nodded and left, shutting the door behind him. She turned back to Spike.  
  
"What's going on?" Buffy let the necklace drop and dangle from her hand. "What's that? A present for me? I don't usually wear hippy jewelry even though it is back in fashion."  
  
"It is a present, but it's not what you think." She sighed and started to pace. "You've been a great ally to me, Spike. Even though we don't get along that much, you are important to me."  
  
"Oh great!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You're saying goodbye to everyone, aren't you?"  
  
"No!"  
  
"You've probably spent the day thinking about what you're going to say to everyone. Well guess what luv, I don't want to hear it. You're not going to die. I won't let you. Besides, I don't really want Peaches on my ass because I didn't try to stop you. I'm going to be at your side fighting off the baddies. Nothing can stop me. I'm going to be there with you till the end."  
  
"Spike...."  
  
"You know, I still have feelings for you and I would do anything for you. But I am not going to sit here and listen to your goodbye speech to me. You're right bloody crazy if you think...." Suddenly, Buffy's little arms were around his neck in a tight embrace. It threw Spike off a bit, but he warmed to it and hugged her back. "Well, this is new. You think Angel will divorce you for this?"  
  
Buffy pulled away. "Thank you for everything Spike. And thank you for saying that you'll be there for me. It means a lot to me, but I'm not saying goodbye. This amulet.... It's supposed to be worn by someone with a soul and has more strength than a human. It's volatile. We don't know exactly what it does. I need someone strong to bear it."  
  
"Well, why are you talking to me? Angel's the one you want."  
  
"Angel said the amulet was meant to be worn by a champion." Spike looked at her, getting it.  
  
Buffy handed him the amulet. "Been called a lot of things in my time."  
  
"Well, you deserve this." Buffy turned and headed up the stairs.  
  
"Thank you." Spike called.  
  
The Slayer only paused with a smile and then walked out the door.  
  
Later that night, Faith had allowed Buffy and Angel to have their room back. She was sleeping in Dawn's room. Angel's arm was around Buffy's waist as he slept, completely out cold. Buffy, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. Something kept nagging at her. She turned slightly and stroked Angel's chisled cheekbone and gently kissed his lips. He didn't wake up, but he did move closer and bury his face in her hair. With a smile, Buffy got up and walked over to the window. She looked up at the stars and thought about her life.  
  
She remembered when she and Angel had first met and then little things between him and her ran through her mind all the way up to the present moment. Then there were the memories of Willow and Xander. They were her partners in crime, her best friend's, her brother and sister. And next was Giles. He was the closest thing to her father. Hank, Buffy's real father, barely held a candle to Giles. Buffy smiled to herself as the faces of all her other friends floated into her mind's eye. This was her family.  
  
The First stepped out of the darkness as Caleb and stood at her side. "Pretty, ain't it?"  
  
"You're not him." Buffy said.  
  
"No, you killed him, right and proper. Terrible loss. This man was my good right arm. Course it don't pain me too much. Don't need an arm. I've got an army."  
  
"An army of vampires. However will I fight...."  
  
"Every day our numbers swell. But then you do have an army of your own. Some thirty-odd pimply-faced girls, don't know the pointy end of a stake. Maybe I should call this off...."  
  
"Have you ever considered a cool name? I mean, since you're incorporeal and basically powerless.... how about the Taunter? Strikes fear in the hearts of...."  
  
"I will overrun this earth. And when my army outnumbers the humans on this earth, the scales will tip and I will be made flesh."  
  
"Talk on. I'm not afraid of you."  
  
"Then why aren't you asleep in your dead lover's arms?" Buffy glanced over at Angel on the bed and the First followed her gaze. "Cause he can't help you. Nor Faith, nor your friends. Certainly not your wanna-slay brigade. None of those girlies will ever know real power unless you're dead. You know the drill." The First shifted into Buffy herself. "'Into every generation a Slayer is born. One girl in all the world. She alone will have the strength and skill to....' There's that word again. What you are. How you'll die. Alone." Buffy stared at the First and said nothing. "Where's your snappy comeback?"  
  
"You're right."  
  
"Hmm.... not your best."  
  
Angel suddenly started awake, coming out of a dream. "I'm drowning in foot wear!" Buffy looked over at him and when she looked back, the First was gone. "Danm. Weird dream. Buffy? Is something wrong."  
  
"No." Buffy paused and looked at Angel, the hint of a smile lighting up her beautiful features. She remembered what Willow had discovered about the scythe, the power it held. "Yeah. I just realized something. Something that really never occurred to me before. We're going to win."  
  
"How do you figure?"  
  
"I don't. I just know."  
  
Angel smiled. "You know, you may be a cookie sooner than you realize."  
  
"Angel?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I have a plan. It's crazy, but I think it'll work." Angel patted the bed and Buffy sat down, starting to tell her plan to her husband.  
  
The next morning, Buffy stood before Angel, Giles, Xander, Willow, Anya, Dawn, and Faith in her and Angel's room. She sat in Angel's lap and surveyed them all, her eyes dancing with excitement. "What do you think?"  
  
"That depends. Are you in any way kidding?" Xander asked.  
  
"You don't think it's a good idea?"  
  
"It's pretty radical, B." Faith said.  
  
"It's a lot more than that." Giles said. "Buffy, what you said.... it flies in the face of everything we've ever.... of what every generation has done in the fight against evil. I think it's bloody brilliant."  
  
Buffy smiled. "You mean that?"  
  
"If you want my opinion."  
  
"Really do."  
  
"Whoa, hey!" Willow said. "Not to poop on the party here but I'm the guy who's going to have to pull this thing off."  
  
"It is beaucoup d'mojo." Faith said.  
  
"This goes beyond anything I've ever done. It's a total loss of control and not in a nice, wholesome, 'my girlfriend has a pierced tongue' kind of way."  
  
"Buffy wouldn't ask if she didn't think you could do it." Angel said. "And you know I wouldn't let her ask if I didn't think you could do it."  
  
"I'm not sure that I'm stable enough."  
  
"You can do this, Willow. We'll get the coven on the line and we'll find out how they can help." Giles said.  
  
"Oh! Pierced tongue." Dawn said.  
  
"Dawn needs to do a research thing!" Buffy said to Giles, wanting to get her sister away from the topic.  
  
"Yes, you do." Angel said.  
  
Dawn stood up and headed for the door. "It's cool. Watcher Junior to the library."  
  
"I'll go dig up my sources." Giles said. "Quite literally, actually. There's one or two people I have to speak to who are dead."  
  
"Come on. Let's go assemble the cannon fodder." Anya said to Xander.  
  
"That's not what we're calling them, sweetie." Xander said.  
  
"Not to their faces. What am I.... insensitive?"  
  
As the others headed out to go about their business, Buffy stepped forward and handed the scythe to Willow. "I trust you Willow. You're my best friend. If I thought for one second that you couldn't do this, I really wouldn't ask." She hugged the red head gently.  
  
As Willow left, Faith came up. "I'll go help gather the troops."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
Now there was only Buffy and Angel in the room. He took her hands and looked into her eyes. "Are you ready for this?"  
  
"Well, if it'll help me bake.... I guess so."  
  
"I'm proud of you. You will never know how much I love you Buffy Summers."  
  
"I think I can come close." Buffy kissed him gently and then, gripping his hands, she walked downstairs.  
  
Before she walked in to the living room where everyone was waiting, she hesitated. Angel leaned down and whispered, "You can do it. They'll listen to you." Taking a deep breath, Buffy walked in. She stood before the crowd once more. All the potentials were gathered, including Kennedy, Amanda, Shannon, Vi and Rona, along with Buffy's crew, including Andrew and Robin Wood. The tension was high in the room. Not all the girls were glad that Buffy was back and some of the new ones didn't trust her at all.  
  
Buffy took one more deep breath and started. "I hate this. I hate being here. I hate that you have to be here. I hate that there's evil and that I was chosen to fight it. I wish a whole lot of the time that I hadn't been. I know a lot of you wish I hadn't been, either. But this isn't about wishes. This is about choices. I believe we can beat this evil. Not when it comes. Not when its army is ready. Now. Tomorrow morning I'm opening the Seal. I'm going down into the Hellmouth and I'm finishing this once and for all. Right now you're asking yourselves what makes this different. 'What makes us anything more than a bunch of girls being picked off one by one?' It's true, none of you have the power that Faith and I do. So here's the part where you make a choice. What if you could have that power.... now? In every generation one Slayer is born because a bunch of men who died thousands of years ago made up that rule. They were powerful men." She pointed at Willow, who smiled nervously. "This woman is more powerful than all of them combined. So I say we change the rule. I say my power should be our power. Tomorrow, Willow will use the essence of the scythe to change our destiny. From now on, every girl in the world who might be a Slayer, will be a Slayer. Every girl who could have the power, will have the power. Can stand up, will stand up. Slayers.... every one of us. Make your choice. Are you ready to be strong?"  
  
The girls all stared at Buffy. She looked nervous, but completely confident. Kennedy was the first up. "I say 'Hell yeah!'" The other girls all started cheering.  
  
Later that night, Buffy stood alone, looking pensively off into the night. She couldn't help wondering if she had been right about it all. Could these girls handle the power? Could the girls they didn't know about out in the world handle the power? Could Buffy herself handle the power? It was a question that haunted her every move ever since the day she had accepted that she was a Slayer. Even if she didn't believe in herself intirely, Angel did. And that was all she needed. Gunn had called and said that his crew was geared up as a just in case scenario. He also informed them that the special forces at Wolfram and Hart were geared up as well. Wesley and Fred had wished her good luck and Lorne had sang a song to soothe Buffy's nerves. Part of her wished they were here. The other part knew they were better off away from all of this. If Buffy had a choice, she would let anyone who wanted to walk away go and she would kick her friends out. But Buffy didn't have a choice. She needed each and every one of them.  
  
Buffy wrapped her arms around herself and stared out into the darkness. Suddenly, a presence was behind her. A familiar presence. "Hey Spike."  
  
"Hey." The blonde vampire said.  
  
"What're you doing out here?"  
  
"Taken a breather."  
  
"You dont breath."  
  
"Metaphorical breather."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"So, are you ready for this?"  
  
"Are you?"  
  
"As ready as I'll ever be."  
  
"Well, something's wrong with you. You're isolating yourself and you only do that when there's something bothering you. So fess up."  
  
Buffy smiled and went to sit on the swing. Spike followed. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
"I've seen a lot of things you wouldn't believe Miss Seen-It-All. Try me."  
  
"Do you remember when Angel and I got married?"  
  
"How could I forget. Worse bloody day of my un-life. What's that got to do with anything?"  
  
"Do you remember when I fainted on patrol with you?"  
  
"Now I think I'd remember something like that."  
  
"So I didn't? According to your memories."  
  
"What are you talkin about luv?"  
  
"Spike, I was pregnant. You don't remember any of it because you're not supposed to. But Angel and I do. We actually have two sets of memories. One where we kept our baby and named him Connor, but he was taken by this vampire hunter named Holtz into a hell dimension called Quar-toth. When he came back, he was 17 and so corrupted. He tried to put Angel in the bottom of the ocean in a steel coffin. I stopped him and he seemed fine afterwards. We brought him back here and he seemed to settle down. He even went to school here. One day, the day when we went back up to LA to stop that apocalypse with the Beast, he went with us. It turned out that he was a major player. Cordy was evil and she slept with Connor. She got pregnant, but it was a mystical pregnancy and the baby turned out to be Jasmine. She was a Power That Was and she used me, Angel, and Cordy just to get into this world. When she did, Connor loved her so much, just like the rest of LA. We found out what she really was and Connor had known the whole time, but he didn't care. Deep down, he resented me and Angel because he thought we had let Holtz take him into hell. We didn't mean to. It happened too fast. So, when Angel and I got the offer to take over Wolfram and Hart's LA branch, we made a deal. We told them we would take over if they gave Connor a normal family. He's with them now, 18 and a high school graduate. He graduated with honors and he has the chance to go to any college he wants."  
  
"Whoa, slow down Buffy."  
  
"I can't. The stuff you remember, it's not real. You remember that Angel and I got back together because Willow found out how to bind his soul. We got married and he took me to San Francisco for eight months. But for that eight months, I was pregnant. We gave the baby, Connor, away to a nice family, the family he's with now. We didn't want Connor to grow up in out world. We didn't want him to have that pain everyday."  
  
"Buffy, luv, slow down. You're telling me that there are two versions of the last year and a half?" Buffy nodded. "And both you were pregnant in?" She nodded again. "One we all knew about the kid and the other, you hid it from us just so you could give the kid up?"  
  
"You don't believe me, do you?"  
  
"It's a lot to process."  
  
"Spike, I'm not crazy here. You can ask Angel. He'll tell you the same thing."  
  
Spike gently grabbed Buffy's upper arms. "I believe you."  
  
"You do?"  
  
"Yes. And I'm sorry about all of it. I understand now. That's why you've been so distant and so hard on everyone. Why haven't you told anyone else?"  
  
"I don't know. They won't understand."  
  
"You won't know until you tell them."  
  
"They'll just feel bad for kicking me out and being mean to me. Let them think what they want. They don't need a bombshell like this. Maybe I'll tell them one day, but not now."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For trusting me enough to tell me about this."  
  
"You're welcome. And Spike?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Thank you for being here. I'm sorry for all the mean things I said to you."  
  
"No you're not. Not all of them anyways. Some of them I deserved. But thanks for saying it."  
  
Buffy smiled. "I'm glad you're here Spike." She hugged Spike again.  
  
"Wow, two hugs in two days. You must think you're going to die."  
  
"I'm not...."  
  
"I was joking."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I'm going back in."  
  
"Talk to Faith."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She loves you. At least a part of her does. Set things straight before tomorrow." Spike nodded and walked in the house. 


	81. Chosen part 3

A/N Ok, I promise you that "My Own Version" is going to come back with a part 3. Angel's still on isn't he? As long as Angel stays on, this story will continue. I was a little angry with the way Buffy ended. Don't get me wrong, I loved the episode, but it just left you hanging. Well, not this story. You'll have something to look forward to next season.  
  
Chapter 81  
  
Spike sat on his cot as the first rays of dawn streamed down on the world. He stared at the medallion dangling on its chain. Buffy walked down the stairs and he got up to meet her. It was time. She and Spike walked bravely up to the living room and looked at all the potentials. They were armed and ready. Angel took her hand and they walked out the door. Robin and Faith were waiting outside for them. Spike took the tarp and covered up. No rays hit him as they walked towards the school. It sat abandoned, papers strewn across the grass, a car crashed into a tree on the main quad. The group strode purposefully toward the front entrance, led by Robin. They entered the school and made their way through the ransacked corridors.  
  
"Welcome to Sunnydale High. There's no running in the halls, no yelling, no gum-chewing. Apart from that, there's only one rule: if they move, kill them."  
  
Buffy joined Wood at the head of the group. "Okay, potentials in the basement. Follow Faith and Spike." Faith pointed the way and they headed off down the hall.  
  
"If you have to go to the bathroom, it's to your left. If you don't have to go to the bathroom, picture what you're about to face. Better to go now." Xander said.  
  
"Willow, my office is straight through there." Wood said.  
  
"It's right over the Seal." Angel said.  
  
Willow handed her bag to Kennedy who said, "I'll start getting you set up."  
  
"Thanks." Willow said.  
  
As Kennedy headed into Robin's office, he turned to the rest of the group: Anya, Andrew, Giles, Dawn, and Xander. "Okay, civilians.... if the vampires get upstairs, we have three areas they could get through to another building and then down into the sewers. Down the hall in the atrium, the north hall here and the primary target, through the lounge and straight to the science building. Now odds are most of them will head there."  
  
"Teams of two, then? I suggest you and I take the lounge." Giles said to Robin.  
  
"I concur." Robin said.  
  
"Xander, I want you with Dawn." Angel said.  
  
"I concur." Xander said.  
  
"We'll check out the atrium." Dawn said.  
  
"So that leaves me and the dungeon master in the north hall." Anya said.  
  
"We will defend it with our very lives." Andrew said.  
  
"Yes, we will defend it with his very life."  
  
"And don't be afraid to use him as a human shield." Xander said.  
  
"Good, yes! Thanks."  
  
"I just want to say how proud I am to die for this very special cause with you guys." Andrew said. He took a sheet of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it. "There's some people I'd like to thank, both good and evil. A shout-out to my brother Tucker who gave me the inspiration to summon demons and also...."  
  
Anya yanked him down the hall by the arm. "Nobody cares, ya little monkey."  
  
"I'm going to check out our field of engagement." Dawn said.  
  
She headed toward the atrium but Buffy stopped her. "Dawn...."  
  
"No. Anything you say is going to sound like goodbye."  
  
The two sisters shared a silent look that said everything that needed saying, then Dawn turned and walked away. When she was gone, Buffy turned back to the four who are left: Giles, Willow, Angel, and Xander. One by one she looked at the best friends she's ever known, then smiled. "So.... what do you guys want to do tomorrow?"  
  
"Nothing strenuous." Willow said.  
  
"Well, mini-golf is always the first thing that comes to mind." Xander said.  
  
"I think we can do better than that." Angel said.  
  
"I was thinking about shopping.... as per usual." Buffy said.  
  
"There's an Agnes B in the new mall!" Willow said.  
  
"Good. I could use a few items." Xander said.  
  
"Aren't we going to discuss this? Save the world and go to the mall?" Giles asked.  
  
"I'm having a wicked shoe craving." Buffy said.  
  
"Aren't you on the patch?" Xander asked.  
  
"Those never work." Angel said.  
  
"And here I am, invisible to the eye, not having any say...." Giles muttered. Xander, Angel, Buffy, and Willow started to head off down the hall.  
  
"See, I need a new look. It's this whole eye patch thing." Xander said.  
  
"Oh! You could go with the full black secret agent look." Buffy said.  
  
"Or the puffy shirt, pirate-slash-poet feel. Sensitive yet manly...." Angel joked.  
  
"Now you're getting a little renaissance fair on me." Xander said.  
  
"It's a fine line."  
  
"The earth is definitely doomed." Giles said to himself. He headed off to the lounge to join Wood while Buffy, Angel, Xander, and Willow walked silently together side-by-side. Willow steeled herself, then broke off and headed into Wood's office. A little further along, Xander took Buffy's hand and squeezed it, then he went to join Dawn in the atrium. Alone once more with her husband, Buffy took his hand and headed for the basement. She entered and Spike and Angel flanked her as they approached the Seal of Danthazar. Faith and the other potentials were already gathered around it waiting.  
  
Faith took out Andrew's Tawarick knife and handed it to Buffy. "You first B."  
  
Buffy extended her hand and slashed her palm with the knife, drawing blood. One by one, everyone else did the same, then they all extended their arms outward, letting their blood drip onto the Seal. It pooled in the grooves on its surface and was instantly absorbed. The Seal began to glow from within and the pointed tips of the pentagram at its center folded up, forming a pyramid which sank into its center. Buffy stared down into the dark hole, finding her center, then with a glance at Faith, she stepped into the Hellmouth. Faith followed right behind. Buffy emerged into a shadowy cave with Angel and the others right behind her.  
  
Spike stepped up to Buffy and Angel, indicated the amulet around his neck, and spoke softly to them. "Not to be a buzzkill, but my fabulous accessory isn't exactly tingling with power."  
  
"I'm not worried." Buffy said.  
  
"I'm getting zero juice here.... and I look like Elizabeth Taylor."  
  
"Cheer up, Liz." Faith said, taking Spike's hand. "If Willow's big spell doesn't work, it won't matter what you wear."  
  
"I'm not worried." Buffy said, gripping Angel's hand tightly. The group spread out as the cave tunnel opened up and they approached the edge of a dizzying drop. The flickering light of burning fires and the snarling and bellowing of a vast multitude came from far below. Buffy and the potentials approached the edge of the precipice and looked down at a legion of Turok-han vampires, screaming, growling, and readying for war: the army of the First. Buffy's eyes went wide at the sight. The potentials stood rooted in place by fear and even Angel and Spike were awed by the sheer number and ferocity of the teeming throng below. "I'm not worried."  
  
"Really? Cause I'm flashing back to Xander's whole bathroom speech." Angel said.  
  
"Buffy...." Amanda said, terrified.  
  
"I'm not worried. As long as Willow can work her spell before they...." Buffy said. Far below, the Turok-han army went silent as they all turned as one and looked up, directly at Buffy and the potentials. "See us." As if on cue, thousands of Turok-han raced toward them with a bellowing cry of rage. They began to scale the walls, climbing them with frightening speed. Buffy's calm façade started to crack at the awesome sight. "Willow...."  
  
Behind them, Vi, Amanda and Rona sucked in a gasping breath as Willow's spell passed through them and released their potential and they became Vampire Slayers. The horde of raging Turok-han surged up and over the edge of the chasm toward Buffy, Angel, Faith, Spike, and the team of newly called Vampire Slayers.  
  
"These guys are dust." Rona said.  
  
Spike, Faith, Angel, and Buffy braced themselves as the first wave lept up over the edge and attacked. They fought like they never had before, almost as if Willow's spell had enhanced their already-formidable strength in addition to calling all the potentials to Slayerhood. More Turok-han charged up from the abyss and now the rest of the Slayers joined the fight. Roundhouse kicks, uppercuts, sidekicks, leaps, punching, and twirling in a stunning battle dance such as the world had never seen. Each Slayer, cloaked and anointed in the power, burning bright as they fought back the ravening horde, slaying as if they had been doing it all their lives. Vi lept into the air and slammed into one of the vampires with tremendous force, sending it reeling backward into the abyss. Rona cracked another in the head with the cast on her broken arm, snapping its neck. Amanda impaled a third with her lance, turning it instantly to dust. All around them the battles raged, three dozen Slayers against an army of super- vampires.  
  
Buffy, Faith, and the others were in the fight of their lives. They beat back the Turok-han one after the other, staking them, punching them, slicing them to pieces, whatever it took. Kennedy lept down from the entrance above and called out to Buffy. Buffy spun around just as Kennedy threw the scythe to her. She caught it with one hand and became death incarnate. All around her, the Turok-han disintegrated to dust as she whipped the scythe around, dispensing one fatal blow after another. Kennedy was suddenly rocked backward by a vicious blow to the head as a Turok-han broke free from the melee and attacked her. She kicked it in the chest and brought her elbow down on its neck, snapping it in two.  
  
"I could get used to this!" Kennedy said.  
  
She seized another Turok-han and hurled it upward with tremendous force into the cavern's ceiling. It's head impacted a stalactite and its skull shattered like an eggshell. The lifeless body dropped to the ground at her feet. About a dozen of the Turok-han broke off their attack and dashed up the stairs and into the school above. They were replaced by dozens more from below before Buffy and the other Slayers could stop them.  
  
Angel, in vamp face, beat back his own horde of Turok-hans. He kept tabs on Buffy the whole time. Nothing was going to happen to her if he could help it. Already he had cut down two attacks that would have caught his wife by surprise. Now he was a little cornered. Buffy was fighting fiercely and Angel took his eyes off of her and glanced at Spike. In the midst of the raging battle, he snapped the neck of a Turok-han, then staggered backward as some unseen force hit him. He looked down at the medallion around his neck, then touched it only to jerk his hand away in pain, his flesh seared from the heat.  
  
"Buffy! Whatever this thing does, I think it's...." Spike suddenly screamed in agony and writhed in pain but Buffy didn't hear him in the heat of the battle. She dispatched two of the feral vampires, then stopped to yell out commands to the other Slayers.  
  
"Keep the line together! Drive them to the edge! We can't let them do...." She stopped and gasped in shock and pain as a Turok-han ran her through from behind with its sword. She looked down amazed at the tip of the blade protruding from her abdomen. She staggered forward a few steps, then her eyes rolled up and she fell facefirst to the ground.  
  
Angel looked back over to where Buffy had been, but he didn't see her. Suddenly, Faith yelled his wife's name and then he saw her. She was laying on the floor, blood starting to pool beneath her. With a feral growl, Angel shoved the Turok-hans back and over the edge of the cliff. He ran over to his fallen wife and kneeled next to her as Faith reached her too.  
  
Buffy raised her head and grimaced in pain. "Hold the line." She pushed the scythe toward Faith. The raven-haired Slayer stared at Buffy in shock, then took the scythe and stood up, whipping it around with superhuman speed, destroying one vampire after another. Angel gripped Buffy's hand and knocked vampires away from them. "Angel, go."  
  
"I'm not leaving you." Angel growled.  
  
"You have to. They need you."  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'll be fine. I'll just lay here and enjoy the show."  
  
"Buffy...."  
  
"Please Angel, just go."  
  
Angel stared at her a moment and then stood up, fighting off more Turok- hans. He stayed close to Buffy, making sure no vampires got near her except him. The battle raged on. For every Turok-han that died, three more took its place. Faith dealt death with every swing of the scythe but there were too many. Moments before she was overwhelmed, she called out, "Rona!" Then she hurled the scythe to Rona just as she was driven to the ground beneath five of the Turok-han vampires. Rona caught the scythe and picked up where Faith left off, swinging the gleaming blade in a deadly arc. Lying on the ground, bleeding and barely conscious, Buffy watched with dismay as Chao-ahn was seized from behind by a Turok-han. The vicious beast sank its fangs into her neck, tearing into her flesh and killing her. Then a bloody stake fell to the ground right in front of her and Buffy's head turned in time to see Amanda fall, her face covered in blood, her dead eyes staring sightlessly at Buffy. Buffy's own eyes closed as the pain became too much. The battle may still rage on, but Buffy's part in it was over. Then suddenly the sound of fighting faded around her and she heard her own voice. She looked up to see a mirror-image of herself standing over her, an identical puncture wound in her belly dripping blood. It was the First.  
  
"Oh, no.... ow! Mommy, this mortal wound is all.... itchy." The First crouched down next to Buffy. "You pulled a nice trick. You came pretty close to smacking me down. What more do you want?"  
  
Buffy stared at the First with smoldering hatred. The fight slowly came back into her eyes and her face hardened with grim determination. "I want you.... to get out of my face!" She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, then regained her feet. The First backed away and vanished. Rona slashed the neck of a Turok-han with the scythe, then tossed it back to Buffy who whipped it around in a 180° arc, taking out half a dozen Turok- han and driving several others back over the edge of the precipice to slam into the cavern floor far below.  
  
Next to Buffy, a pile of raging Turok-han suddenly exploded outward and Faith and Angel lept to their feet. Angel's arms and legs were a deadly ballet as he landed one killing blow after another. All around Buffy, the Slayers found renewed strength and determination, beating back their attackers one at a time. In one fluid motion, Vi raked her stake through the abdomen of one vampire, then pirouetted and brought it down through the neck of another. Kennedy sent one attacker reeling with a roundhouse kick and followed through with her sword, decapitating another of the snarling beasts. Spike suddenly staggered backward in mid-blow, clutching his chest as if having a heart attack. He braced himself against the wall as a surge of energy welled up within him.  
  
"Oh, bollocks...." The white-hot energy coalesced around the amulet and rocketed upward, punching a hole up through the ceiling of the cavern and through the basement of the school, tearing up and out through the building. Spike stood pinned in the center of a glowing ring of orange light. "Buffy! Faith!"  
  
"Spike!" Faith yelled.  
  
Before she could move, the medallion suddenly flared into life, lit with the intensity of a million suns. Streams of pure solar energy radiated outward in a circle like beams from a lighthouse. The energy pulses swept the cavern, destroying every Turok-han they touched. The vampire creatures screamed in agony as they were cut down and annihilated by the hundreds, then by the thousands as the light extended down into the chasm. Faith ran to Spike's side as the cavern around them began to shake and tremble. Chunks of rock and pointed stalactites tumbled from the ceiling as the ground lurched beneath their feet.  
  
"Everybody out now!" Angel yelled, grabbing Buffy's hand and hauling her towards the stairs up.  
  
The girls followed Angel's lead and dashed up the stairs and into the school basement. Buffy and Angel stayed behind, helping the injured to safety as Faith stood before Spike who was still pinned in place, illuminated by a crimson glow. She wanted to help him but was unsure what to do.  
  
"I can feel it, Faith." Spike said.  
  
"What?" Faith asked.  
  
"My soul. It's really there. It kind of stings."  
  
Faith looked around desperately as the last of the Slayers climbed up and out of the Hellmouth. Angel yelled for her to come on as he hauled Buffy up by the hand. Buffy yanked back and told Angel to go, she'd meet him up there. Angel tried to grab his wife, but she dodged out of his way. With an exasperated sigh, he ran up the stairs.  
  
Buffy stood next to Faith in front of Spike. "How you doing?"  
  
"Oh, this is Disneyland." Spike said. "Go on, then. Angel's going to kick your ass."  
  
"No! No, you've done enough! You could still...."  
  
"No, you've beaten them back. It's for me to do the cleanup."  
  
Behind them, a vast section of the cavern ceiling collapsed inward, millions of tons of rock crashed into the abyss. Angel called down frantically from the top of the stairs near the Seal. "Buffy! Faith! Come on!"  
  
"Gotta move, lambs. I think it's fair to say, school's out for the bloody summer." Spike said.  
  
"B, go." Faith said.  
  
"Faith...." Buffy said.  
  
"Please Buffy."  
  
Buffy grabbed Faith in a tight hug. "I'll be waiting in the basement. Hurry your ass up."  
  
Faith watched the blonde Slayer go up the stairs and then she turned back to Spike. "Spike...."  
  
"I mean it! I gotta do this." The light emanating from the amulet flared even brighter and Faith reached out and took Spike's hand in her own, entwining her fingers with his. A moment, then both their hands burst into flame. Faith ignored the fire and held his gaze with her own.  
  
"I love you." She kissed him desperately. "Please don't do this. I know I've screwed up with us, but you can't just leave like this!"  
  
"I love you too, pet, but you know I gotta do this. It's too late. Go on up there and live your life. I think you've got something with Robin. You deserve him, Faith." They shared one last look between them, two souls came together as one at last, then the ground heaved beneath their feet and chunks of stone slammed down like bombs around them. "Now go!"  
  
Faith let go of Spike's hand and ran up through the Seal. Buffy grabbed Faith's hand and they ran out. They dodged and weaved through the crumbling hallways as they disintegrated around them. They came to the front entrance but found the way completely blocked. Turning around, they saw sunlight streaming down from above and ran up the stairs.  
  
As the bus raced down the street, Buffy and Faith paced it on the rooftops of the adjacent buildings above, running for all they were worth, even gaining on the bus as it flew toward the city limits at 60+ miles per hour. Behind them, the buildings fell away as the town was slowly sucked into the Hellmouth. As the warehouse beneath their feet collapsed into rubble, they lept two dozen feet to the next building and kept running. Looking out the back window of the bus, Dawn spotted her sister and Faith just as they made one last desperate super-human leap into mid-air. They sailed past the Sun Cinema marquee and landed hard on top of the bus. Buffy turned around and watched as the bus shot away from the town that had been her home for the last seven years. She and Faith bot watched as the entire city disappeared into the abyss, leaving nothing but a vast gaping hole in its place.  
  
When the bus stopped, Buffy and Faith immediately lept off the back and stared in shock at the smoking black crater before them. Then, with excitment, both women grabbed each other in a tight hug. Buffy told Faith she was sorry, but Faith told her everything was ok. Buffy understood that Faith was choosing Robin because Spike had told her to. Faith walked to the front of the bus just as the back door opened and Dawn and Angel lept out into her arms. The three shared a silent beat of joy and thanks in the embrace. Buffy released Dawn and kissed Angel deeply as Giles, Willow, and the others disembarked and gathered around, staring in awed disbelief at the total destruction of Sunnydale.  
  
"I don't understand. What did this?" Giles asked.  
  
Buffy broke the kiss with Angel and looked at the crater. "Spike." As Buffy walked forward toward the edge of the pit with Angel firmly attatched to her hands, she noticed a green sign balanced precariously on the very edge and bearing the logo "Welcome to Sunnydale! Enjoy your stay!" The sign swayed in the wind, then fell backward into the hole, a final coda to the town's history. Faith, Giles, Dawn, Willow, and Xander all gathered around Angel and Buffy on the edge of the crater.  
  
"Looks like the Hellmouth is officially closed for business." Angel said.  
  
"There's another one in Cleveland. Not to spoil the moment." Giles said.  
  
"We saved the world." Xander said.  
  
"We changed the world. I can feel them, Buffy. All over. Slayers are awakening everywhere." Willow said.  
  
"We'll have to find them." Dawn said.  
  
"We will."  
  
"Yes, because the mall was actually in Sunnydale so there's no hope of going there tomorrow." Giles said.  
  
"We destroyed the mall? I fought on the wrong side." Dawn said.  
  
"All those shops, gone. The Gap, Starbucks, Toy R Us.... who will remember all those landmarks unless we tell the world of them?" Xander asked.  
  
"We have a lot of work ahead of us." Giles said.  
  
"Can I push him in?" Faith asked.  
  
"You've got my vote." Willow said.  
  
Faith playfully shoved Giles. "I just want to sleep for like a week!"  
  
"I guess we all could. If we wanted to." Dawn said.  
  
"Yeah, the First is scrunched so.... what do you think we should do, Buffy?" Willow asked.  
  
"Yeah, you're not the one and only Chosen anymore. Just gotta live like a person. How's that feel?" Faith asked.  
  
"Yeah, Buffy. What are we going to do now?" Dawn asked.  
  
Buffy Anne Summers looked off into the future, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. She turned in Angel's embrace and looked at her friends. "I wanna start baking." Angel smirked, getting what she meant. "I wanna get married in front of you guys in a big ceremony at the Hyperion. I want the wedding dress and I wanna move to LA with my husband and I wanna be a family again. Maybe there could even be a honeymoon in there somewhere. What do you think?"  
  
The End..... For Now. 


End file.
